Lost in the legendary Hampton Court Maze. This is Britain’s oldest surviving hedge maze. It’s a multicursal maze a puzzle maze with many twists turns and dead ends. King William III commissioned it around 1690. He and Queen Mary had just arrived to take the English throne. The maze’s unusual trapezoid shape covers a third of an acre. It contains half a mile of paths.
Before this puzzle maze the unicursal maze was common. A unicursal maze has a single path to the center. It is often a spiral. Religious buildings used these mazes. The winding path symbolized the Christian’s journey to redemption.
Creating a puzzle maze like Hampton Court is challenging. High hedges take years to grow. They need constant care. The original hornbeam hedges at Hampton Court were largely replaced by yew. The yew is more durable. Other historic hedge mazes in the UK are from the 19th century.
The Hampton Court Maze has been repaired many times. It’s still a popular tourist attraction. It takes about 20 minutes to reach the center. The maze even appeared in literature. It is mentioned in Jerome K Jerome’s *Three Men in a Boat*. A character gets hilariously lost.
Many mazes have been created and restored in recent years. Some are turf mazes others are hedge mazes. Some even include water features. The Hampton Court Maze however remains the most famous. It continues to puzzle and delight visitors. So step into the Hampton Court Maze and experience its history. Let the twists and turns challenge you. See if you can find your way to the center.