When people mention the Hampton Court Maze, what comes to mind? Yes, it’s not about its size or complexity, but its antiquity and the historical and cultural heritage it has passed down. The Hampton Court Maze is located within Hampton Court in southwest London and is the oldest existing hedge maze in the UK. This maze was built at the end of the 17th century and commissioned by King William III of England. It has a history of more than 300 years up to now.
Historical background
The maze was built between 1689 and 1695, and its designers were George London and Henry Wise, the royal gardeners at that time. It was originally part of Hampton Palace Gardens and was dedicated to providing entertainment for members of the royal family. Unlike the common stone wall mazes in modern times, it is entirely composed of yew hedges and is about 1.8 meters high.
Structure and layout
The maze covers an area of approximately 1,350 square meters and the total length of the paths is 800 meters. The overall shape is trapezoidal, with over 20 winding paths and multiple dead ends inside. There is only one correct route, leading to the octagonal open space in the center. Hedges are pruned twice a year to maintain a neat shape. It was built in the style of Dutch gardens, reflecting the geometric symmetrical design that was popular in Europe at that time.
Current situation and experience
Nowadays, the maze is open to the public and attracts over a million tourists every year. On average, it takes tourists 20 to 30 minutes to find the exit, and some people may spend even longer. The maze has no high viewing platform, and the mobile phone navigation signal is often disturbed by the hedges, adding to the challenge. When the hedges are thick in summer, children are prone to getting separated from their parents in the side roads. For this reason, the scenic area has set up emergency sentries.
Although this maze has no complex mechanisms, it has become one of the most popular outdoor mazes in the UK thanks to the ingenious layout of natural hedges. It is not only a masterpiece of horticulture, but also carries the historical memories of the British royal family, making it suitable for family tourists to experience the charm of traditional English gardens.
This post is also available in Afrikaans, Azərbaycan dili, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Melayu, Basa Jawa, Bosanski, Català, Cymraeg, Dansk, Deutsch, Eesti, Español, Esperanto, Euskara, Français, Frysk, Galego, Gàidhlig, Hrvatski, Italiano, Kiswahili, Latviešu valoda, Lietuvių kalba, Magyar, Nederlands, O'zbekcha, Polski, Português, Română, Shqip, Slovenčina, Slovenščina, Suomi, Svenska, Tagalog, Tiếng Việt, Türkçe, Íslenska, Čeština, Ελληνικά, Беларуская мова, Български, Кыргызча, Македонски јазик, Монгол, Русский, Српски језик, Татар теле, Українська, Қазақ тілі, Հայերեն, עברית, ئۇيغۇرچە, اردو, العربية, سنڌي, فارسی, كوردی, پښتو, नेपाली, मराठी, हिन्दी, অসমীয়া, বাংলা, ਪੰਜਾਬੀ, ગુજરાતી, தமிழ், తెలుగు, ಕನ್ನಡ, മലയാളം, සිංහල, ไทย, ພາສາລາວ, ဗမာစာ, ქართული, አማርኛ, ភាសាខ្មែរ, 日本語, 简体中文, 繁体中文 and 한국어.