Hidden away, often far from cities or public transport, turf mazes are a puzzle of the English countryside. Of the many known to have existed across northern Europe only eleven remain: eight in England and three in Germany.
The mazes (or labyrinths as they are more correctly known) are created by cutting grooves in an area of turf to leave a continous path of grass. These paths wear down quickly so that regular re-cutting of the grooves is necessary, making it difficult to date them with any certainty.
The maze designs appear elsewhere in the form of stone labyrinths (particularly in Scandinavia) and in churches across Europe, a famous example being the maze on the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France. All of the English mazes are unicursal, meaning that there is only one path from the entrance to the centre, with no junctions. This differentiates them from the more commonly known ‘puzzle mazes’ in which it is easy to become lost.
Two of the English mazes are of the classical design, the remainder being of the mediaeval Christian pattern, although it is possible that in some cases this design was superimposed on an earlier structure.
Purpose of turf mazes
It is hard to be certain why the mazes were originally built. However they have a prominent place in all mythologies and there seems to be an association with the Cretan legend of the Minotaur, as well as with the labyrinthine city walls of ancient Troy.
Whatever the original intention, since mediaeval times mazes have been used for religious purposes and as a part of community festivities. The mediaeval Christian maze represented the journey of the human soul, where the goal was clear but the way to achieve it was confusing. Because the same patterns frequently appear in churches it is thought that mazes were also used for pentitential purposes, whereby sinners would be made to crawl the path upon their hands and knees.
Because the mazes were normally in public places they were often used during village fairs and other festivities. An early recorded instance of this is in Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s Night Dream, where Titania says
‘The nine men’s morris is fill’d up with mud,
And the quaint mazes in the wanton green,
For lack of tread, are undistinguishable.’
(Act 2, Scene 1, lines 98-100)
City of Troy, Dalby, North Yorkshire
The City of Troy maze is situated by the roadside a little way out of the village of Dalby in the Howardian Hills north of York. It is one of only two in England cut in the classical design (the other being the privately owned Somerton in Oxfordshire). Similar patterns have been found on Greek and Roman pottery and in Scandinavian mazes.
References to Troy are common in maze names: Somerton is known as Troy-Town and ‘Troy’ or ‘Walls of Troy’ were names of older mazes which have now disappeared. There are two stone labyrinths in the Scilly Isles called Troy Town and a number of Danish mazes were called Trojborg or Trelleborg. These references link in with the legend that the walls of ancient Troy were built in such a way as to prevent unwanted intruders from finding their way out.
The Dalby maze is the smallest remaining turf maze in Europe. It was moved to its current location at the beginning of the 20th century and there is a theory that, despite the classical design, the original was only carved in 1860.
Julian’s Bower, Alkborough, North Lincolnshire
Julian’s Bower is another traditional name, relating to the belief that it was Julius, son of Aeneas (hero of Virgil’s Aeneid), who took the concept of the maze to Rome from Troy. ‘Bower’ is likely to derive from the Old English word burg, meaning a fortified place. This could be another allusion to Troy or in this instance it might be a reference to Alkborough’s elevated position on a hill overlooking the confluence of two rivers.
The first recorded reference to the Alkborough maze is in 1697 but its origins are obscure. The extent to which it is sunk below the surrounding ground suggests antiquity and it is possible that it was cut in Roman times and later reshaped to the mediaeval Christian design. Alternatively there is a local legend that it was carved in the 12th century as a penance by a knight who was involved in the murder of Thomas à Becket.
In Elizabethan and Stuart times Julian’s Bower was used for sport and it remained in use for May Eve games until the 19th century.
The maze design has been copied onto the floor and east window of the nearby village church.
Other English turf mazes
The other ancient turf mazes in England are as follows
- Mizmaze, Breamore, Hampshire. On Breamore Down, the earliest record of this maze is in 1783 but it may be of mediaeval origin.
- The Maze, Hilton, Cambridgeshire. In the middle of the village, it has a pillar and sundial at its centre.
- The Maze, Saffron Walden, Essex. This is the largest turf maze in England, located in the Town Common.
- Troy Town, Somerton, Oxfordshire. In a private garden, possibly dating from the 16th or 17th century.
- Mizmaze, St Catherine’s Hill, Hampshire. Just to the south of the city of Winchester, the Mizmaze has an unusual rectangular design.
- The Old Maze, Wing, Rutland. A mediaeval maze on the edge of the village green, traditionally used for running.
Sources
Fisher, Adrian and Gerster, Georg. The art of the maze. London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1990.
Saward, Jeff. Historic turf labyrinths in England.
Join the Conversation