Mizmaze
Encyclopedia
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's eight surviving historic turf maze
Turf maze
Historically, a turf maze is a labyrinth made by cutting a convoluted path into a level area of short grass, turf or lawn. Some had names such as Mizmaze, Troy Town, The Walls of Troy, Julian's Bower, or Shepherd's Race...
s, and also to a third, presumably once similar site (at Leigh
Leigh
- In England :* Leigh, Dorset* Leigh, Greater Manchester** Leigh * Leigh, Kent* Leigh, Staffordshire* Leigh, Surrey* Leigh, Wiltshire* Leigh, Worcestershire* Leigh-on-Mendip, Somerset...
in Dorset) that is now merely a relic . Of the two which survive, one is at Breamore
Breamore
Breamore is a village and civil parish near Fordingbridge in Hampshire, England. The toponym is pronounced "Bremmer", not "Bree-moor" as might be supposed. The parish includes a notable Elizabethan country house, Breamore House, built with an E-shaped ground plan...
, in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
; the other is on top of St Catherine's Hill, overlooking the city of Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.
A mizmaze forms a pattern unlike conventional maze
Maze
A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...
s and is classed as a labyrinth
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...
because the path has no junctions or crossings. The pattern appears more like a very long rope, neatly arranged to fill the area.
Breamore Mizmaze
The Breamore Mizmaze, set on a hill close to Breamore HouseBreamore House
Breamore House is an Elizabethan manor house noted for its fine collection of paintings and furniture and situated in Breamore, just north of Fordingbridge, Hampshire, England.Breamore House was completed in 1583 by the Dodington family...
, is a quartered labyrinth similar in design to the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral. It is enclosed by a grove of yew
Yew
-Botany:* Any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus Taxus:** European Yew or Common Yew ** Pacific Yew or Western Yew ** Canadian Yew ** Chinese Yew...
trees, suitably romantic for such an odd survival. Close to it is a Bronze Age barrow. The Mizmaze itself is fenced: necessary for its preservation. In early 2010 many of the surrounding trees were felled to make way for a vehicle track which now surrounds the maze. Much of the unique atmosphere and beauty of this rare site has sadly been destroyed, presumably on the orders of the landowner Sir Edward Hulse
Hulse Baronets
The Hulse Baronetcy, of Lincoln's Inn Fields, is a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 7 February 1739 for Edward Hulse, Physician in Ordinary to Queen Anne, George I and George II. The third baronet was High Sheriff of Hampshire in 1802. The sixth Baronet represented...
. The turf labyrinth itself is also currently very overgrown. (Location just south of Salisbury, off A338).
St Catherine's Hill
The Winchester mizmaze is most unusual, being roughly square, although its paths curve gently and it has rounded corners. It is also one of only two surviving historic English turf mazes where the path is a narrow groove in the turf (the other is at Saffron WaldenSaffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and approx north of London...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
). More commonly the turf itself forms the raised path, which is marked out by shallow channels excavated between its twists and turns; this is the case at Breamore, where the mizmaze is circular (a version of the medieval labyrinth
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...
design) and surrounded by trees. (The Winchester mizmaze is visible in Google Earth atop St. Catherine's hill. Google Maps co-ord: 51.045662, -1.311743 (+51° 2' 44.38", -1° 18' 42.27")
Mount Ephraim Mizmaze
A large modern Mizmaze has been created by garden designerGarden designer
The term garden designer can refer either to an amateur or a professional who designs the plan and features of gardens. Amateurs design their gardens for their own properties. Professionals, with experienced skills, design gardens that benefit clients...
Sarah Morgan at Mount Ephraim, a 9 acres (36,421.7 m²) garden near Faversham
Faversham
Faversham is a market town and civil parish in the Swale borough of Kent, England. The parish of Faversham grew up around an ancient sea port on Faversham Creek and was the birthplace of the explosives industry in England.-History:...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England. Although based on a traditional labyrinth design, the layout incorporates some dead-ends, making it a hybrid between a maze and a labyrinth. The pattern of the grass paths is marked out with combinations of tall-growing ornamental grass
Ornamental grass
Ornamental grasses are grasses grown as ornamental plants. They have become increasingly popular in gardens in recent years.-Classifications:...
es and colourful herbaceous perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
s.
Further reading
- Adrian Fisher & Georg Gerster, The Art of the Maze, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (1990), ISBN 0-297-83027-9
- Jeff Saward, Magical Paths, Mitchell Beazley (2002) ISBN 1-84000-573-4
- Janet & Colin Bord, Mysterious Britain, Paladin Granada (1974) ISBN 0-586-08157-7
- Edward Rutherfurd, "Sarum",
External links
- W.H.Matthews, Mazes and Labyrinths (1922) online version of this classic book
- Labyrinthos Jeff Saward's website
- Labyrinth Society
- The Megalithic Portal
- Labyrinth Locator (Veriditas & Labyrinth Society)
- Mount Ephraim Gardens