Mazes | Modern Mazes | Mazes & Spirituality
Mazes
Unilke flat labyrinths, mazes began with the development of tall garden hedging. The Romans edged their flower beds with low hedging – as you can see at Fishbourne Villa in Sussex and on several Roman wall painting. By medieval times though, had come the idea of laying this hedging into a complex pattern and then growing it into what is, in effect, a wall. The first clear evidence for a hedge maze is the record of one being destroyed in Paris in 1431.
Medieval aristocratic gardens delighted in creating sheltered walkways and bowers. Such gardens, with their opportunities for secret meetings, feature in many love poems and narratives from the period. From here it seems a natural development to elaborate mazes.
Mazes positively invite you to walk in them. If the hedges are very tall you must explore the maze to find the pattern. Early mazes seem to have largely followed the labyrinth pattern – the hedge maze made for Lord Burleigh c.1560 is an example.
By the time the famous Hampton Court maze was planted in 1690 the idea of including choices – and dead ends – was well established. This may have been a playful development but getting lost can turn into a disorientating experience!