Longleat – the longest hedge maze in England
Made up of more than 16,000 English Yews, set out in curves to disorient the walker Longleat’s spectacular hedge maze was first laid out in 1975 by the designer Greg Bright. It covers an area of around 1.48 acres with a total pathway length of 1.69 miles. Unlike most conventional mazes it’s actually three-dimensional, with six wooden bridges offering tantalising glimpses towards the elusive centre of the maze, which is marked by an observation tower for visitors who manage to find it!
The maze is so complex that there are special ‘lift if lost’ panels set into the walls to help people find their way in – and out! Many visitors take an hour to find the centre and a similar time to negotiate to the exit again.
When mobile phones were introduced, Longleat had to set up a special office in the grounds just to deal with people who rang the main office number complaining they were lost in the maze! This function is now filled by an automated message visitors receive when the call the ‘maze’ number, and which guides them to the exit.
While this maze is both very modern and very complex, it follows a longstanding tradition that has been popular in Britain for centuries. The ‘knot in a garden, called a mase’ was commonplace in stately homes by 1500. Sadly, no original example survives, mainly because the trees used simply died of old age, but partly because naturalistic gardeners like Capability Brown grubbed out formal garden features to replace them with rolling turf and deer parks, but there's a fine re-creation of one beside the Old Palace at Hatfield House.
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