Garden Labyrinths and Mazes
The garden maze, distinct from the older unicursal labyrinth, has a clear history: it emerged in the late sixteenth century as an aristocratic puzzle and reached its first peak in the seventeenth century. Hampton Court's maze (1690s) is the model from which the entire modern hedge-maze tradition descends.
Labyrinth vs maze
A labyrinth has a single winding path with no choices — meditative rather than puzzling. A maze has multiple paths and dead ends — entertainment rather than meditation. Most great surviving 'mazes' are actually mazes, not labyrinths, although the terms are often used interchangeably.
Hampton Court's hedge maze (1690s)
Designed for William III by George London and Henry Wise, this is the world's oldest surviving hedge maze and the model for all later examples. Originally hornbeam; partly replanted in yew.
Longleat (1975)
Created by Lord Bath as the longest hedge maze in the world: 1.6 miles of pathway in 8,400 square metres of yew. The over-aerial bridges add a vertical dimension to the puzzle.
Villa Pisani, Italy
The eighteenth-century maze at Villa Pisani in Stra is considered the finest Italian maze, with a tower in the centre to which the solver must climb.
Schönbrunn's maze
Reconstructed in 1998 on the basis of the eighteenth-century original — Vienna's most-photographed garden feature for children.
The hedge plants
Yew is the long-lived choice (centuries possible) but slow to establish. Box was traditional but is now vulnerable to box blight. Hornbeam and beech are faster but require annual cutting.
Where to visit
Hampton Court, Longleat, Schönbrunn, Villa Pisani, Hever Castle, Chatsworth, Glendurgan (Cornwall), Saffron Walden (UK), Reignac-sur-Indre (France, the world's largest by area).
Explore on the map
All of the gardens mentioned in this article are pinned on the interactive map. Use it to plan a route, group nearby sites into a single trip, or compare gardens by style and season.