LEGO is bringing love letters back to the Notting Hill Bookshop

If you’ve ever watched Notting Hill and thought, yes, but it just needs a little more stationery, you’re in luck. This Valentine’s Day season, romance is officially back on the shelves at The Notting Hill Bookshop in London.

On the 3rd of February, the famous West London spot will host Rose & Prose, a one-day LEGO Botanicals pop-up designed to help Brits rediscover the lost art of the love letter. The idea is simple: step inside one of cinema’s most iconic meet-cutes, slow down, and put some actual words to your feelings, no emojis, no AI prompts.

Helping guests along is actor and author Caroline Quentin, who’ll be popping in throughout the day to write bespoke Valentine’s messages for visitors. Whether you’re loved-up, awkwardly infatuated or simply out of practice, she’ll make sure you leave with something heartfelt, handwritten and ready to give.

The event lands alongside new research suggesting that while Britain still considers itself a nation of romantics (80% of us, apparently), many struggle to articulate how they feel. A survey of 2,000 UK adults by the LEGO Group found that when it comes to romance, we’re more likely to quote books, films and songs than write something original ourselves.

Top of the list of borrowed lines was Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility classic, “My heart is, and always will be, yours,” followed by Pixar’s Finding Nemo with “I look at you, and I’m home,” and Arwen’s all-timer from The Lord of the Rings: “I would rather spend one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.” Heavy stuff.

Music and poetry featured heavily too, with Aerosmith, Robert Browning and Emily Brontë all proving that when in doubt, someone else has already said it better.

Despite that, many younger Brits admit they’ve never written a love letter at all. More than a third of Gen Z and over a quarter of millennials say they wouldn’t know where to start, or would simply feel too awkward trying.

Alongside the prose, Rose & Prose also offers a modern twist on the traditional Valentine’s bouquet. Some visitors will receive LEGO Botanicals sets, a flower gift that doesn’t wilt after three days. Unsurprisingly, 69% of people say flowers that last would make the ideal Valentine’s present.

As Quentin puts it, “Can an emoji really convey as much heartfelt meaning as a thoughtful love letter? Will a quick text be remembered as long as a deeply felt sentiment penned in a card? I’m so happy to be joining the LEGO Group to bring back proper love letters.”

If you can’t make it to Notting Hill, LEGO is also launching a digital message builder, offering pre-written Valentine’s lines for cards, captions, DMs and even voice notes, paired with gift suggestions inspired by the 65% of Brits who say shared experiences matter most.

In other words: romance isn’t dead. It just needs better words and some plastic bricks.

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