Nae fond kiss: the etiquette behind public displays of affection

For kissing, instinctive an urge as it may seem, was not, it appears, always a universally practised human activity. Even in Europe it has at times been rather less popular than it is today with fashion, religion and dentistry (or lack thereof), all at times putting a dampener on mouth to mouth exchanges.

The latest kissing crisis, however, has been brought about by rather more prosaic concerns; train timetabling. Station bosses at Warrington Bank Quay station in Cheshire have banned couples from passionate partings on the platform. They claim lingering lip-lockers are causing delays for those wishing to travel from the station, which serves the line between London and Glasgow.

Those wishing to avoid the misery of Brief Encounter-style kissless farewells must retreat, like red-faced teenagers slinking behind the bike-shed, to an officially designated "Kissing Zone" in the short-stay car park.

While the romantics among us are naturally horrified by this hard-hearted ban on lovers enjoying a last moment together before one is carried away to far off territories (or at least Central Station), upholders of etiquette feel it is no bad thing.

According to Debrett's A-Z of Modern Manners: "Being overly affectionate in public is embarrassing for those who are forced to witness private moments. Holding hands, being close and a few kisses are acceptable, but physical intimacies should be reserved for the bedroom."

Yet surely train stations, and other places of departure should be exempt from this rule. Hollywood would fall apart were estranged lovers banned from the last-moment airport/station/quayside kisses which ensure everyone lives happily ever after in the end.

And (your writer gasps emotionally having just relived the final agonising scenes of Brief Encounter courtesy of Youtube), it could be the very last time an adoring couple see each other... ever!

For love to remain unrequited in order that a train company can meet its punctuality targets seems cruel indeed.

Not so, says Jo Bryant, etiquette advisor to Debretts: "You shouldn't really go for it in public (under any circumstances)," she cautions. "You should always be aware of other people and the embarrassment you could cause."

Our attitude towards public kissing has undoubtedly changed over the years.

In ancient Rome kissing was all the rage, though where you were allowed to place your kiss depended on your status (feet for the lowly, hands or cheeks for those more noble).

The Romans were also big on ceremonial kisses, an idea that was also happily used by Christians with their kiss of peace. Indeed for several centuries, kissing was often considered at least as much of a ceremonial gesture as a romantic one. But the Reformation would put paid to such bodily acts of worship in much of Christendom and kissing in Britain once more became regarded principally as an act of affection, though not one to be encouraged outside marriage – tsk tsk!

Of course, it's not just the prolonged snog which has upset kiss-conservatives over the years. While kissing between men in public has traditionally raised eyebrows in England, it did gain some popularity in Scotland during the time of the Stuarts, when French influence is recorded to have led to fashionable young men indulging in kisses of greeting and departure – much to the consternation of visitors from south of the border.

Women were less likely to be condemned for sharing public kisses together, ideas about lesbianism taking longer to register in the public imagination, and even today, Katie Perry with her cheerful lyrics about how much she liked kissing that girl has probably caused far less scandal than had it been a straight boy singing about kissing another lad.

Our tolerance of other people's intimate displays of affection has no doubt been developed courtesy of the movie industry, where on-screen passion has traditionally been copied faithfully by those in the back row.

However, the first film meeting of lips, in Thomas Edison's 1896 movie, The Kiss, caused uproar. One scandalised critic declared of the 47-second long movie: "The spectacle of the prolonged pasturing on each other's lips was beastly enough in life size on the stage, but magnified to gargantuan proportions and repeated three times over it is absolutely disgusting."

What those early viewers would have made of the uninhibited close-up tongue-wranglings of today's reality TV show contestants, can only be imagined.

Back on the platform at Warrington, commuters have been unimpressed by the ban.

Amy Swain, 21, said: "I don't see the point in the 'no-kissing' sign. I don't think it'll stop people."

Indeed those law-abiding souls who intend to bow to station bosses' demands should perhaps consider the latest scientific research which has identified a kiss's power to significantly raise levels of oxytocin, the chemical associated with partner bonding, within the brain, particularly in men. So those of you wishing to make sure your lover returns as you wave him off at the station would be well advised to send him away with a kiss – regardless of what the signs, or the etiquette guides, say.