'Lost' Cliveden maze recreated with 1,000 6'6ft yew trees

A 'lost' maze in the National Trust gardens at Cliveden in Buckinghamshire that disappeared for over half a century has been re-created using over 1,000 two metre (six feet six inches) high yew trees.

The fully-fledged maze is based on one that was built for Lord Astor in 1894 but had ceased to be maintained since the mid-1900s.

The new maze, a horticultural project on a scale rarely seen these days, has taken two years to create, using over 1,000 metres of steel edging and 120 tonnes of gravel to produce 500 metres of path over one third of an acre. It is the same size as the world-famous Hampton Court maze.

Lord Astor's designs for the maze were discovered in National Trust archives in 2005. Apart from a few surviving yew trees that provided the exact location of the maze, little else was known about the original maze.

The two-year project was led by Cliveden's Head Gardener Andrew Mudge. He said: "Once we found the old plans in 2005 we just felt compelled to recreate it. It took a lot of research and planning to firstly draw out the plans, and to prepare the ground.

"The maze has been built as close as possible to the original maze site, the clearance involved removing the last remnants of the original maze and some poor trees and shrubs and perennial weeds, the whole area then had to be leveled.

"Finding enough fully grown yew trees to complete the maze was the most challenging part, but once we found a supplier we managed to plant all 1,100 12-year-old trees in 20 days in October and November last year, which is of course the best time of year to plant most tree types.

"Yew trees create great mazes because they readily form dense hedges and are easily clipped into shape.

"The maze will take a little while to really establish itself and fill out, but it's fantastic that people can enjoy it straight away. And don't worry, you can't cheat by pushing through the hedges because they are all enclosed by metal railings.