Hampton Court Palace: The Maze
The Maze at Hampton Court is the oldest hedge in the United Kingdom.
It was commissioned around 1700 by William III and covers a third of an acre.
It’s known for confusing the tourists and visitors who try and get through it, and it takes about 20 minutes if a person is running.
It was designed by George London and Henry Wise in it’s trapezoid shape.
The maze was originally planted with Hornbeam, but then changed to Yew.
Visiting the maze
The entry to the maze is included with a normal ticket for the Palace.
The maze is colsed from the 24 to the 26 of December and closes at short nodice for ice and snow.
The maze was planted as a part of the formal garden layout called “Wilderness”.
There were at least two mazes originally, but now only one remains, and was the first hedge planted maze in England.
The term “wilderness” refers a place to wander, not a wild jungle like garden as some people would think.
Did you Know?
The wilderness was the English viesion of a French “bosquet”. With all of the decorations and high hedges, it gav roialty a lot of privacy.
Today there are over 1 milion bulbs only planted in the Wilderness, and in the spring, it’s filled with many beautiful flowers.
Three Men in a Boat
“We’ll just go in here, so that you can say you’ve been, but it’s very simple. It’s absurd to call it a maze. You keep taking the first turn on the right.” That is what Harris, the character in Three Men in a Boat, says, also saing that it would take them ten minutes, but then they get lost for hours.
The birthday
At Hampton Court you can also do Birthday parties with some activities, like the Treasure Hunt!
It’s divided into 2 teams and the winning team gets a chest full of chocolate coins wich then divides with the other team (it should take about 30 minutes), and then you have Tea.
Anna Benacchio
