Built in 1978, Longleat’s hedge maze is the largest in the UK and was once the largest maze in the world, built from over 16,000 English yew trees. The maze was the idea of Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath, who lived in Longleat House until his death in 2020.

The maze is constructed of more than 16,000 English yews and is the longest (but not the largest) hedge maze in the world, covering 1.48 acres and 1.69 miles of pathway. It is a full-scale maze, with several dead ends and multiple paths punctuated by six raised bridges, all of which surround a central tower.

The maze is part of the 8,000 acres that have been the home of the Marquesses of Bath since 1541. 900 of those acres were laid out by the famous landscape designer Capability Brown, who also had a hand in the grounds of Alnwick Castle (now home to the Alnwick Poison Gardens). The property includes a slew of unusual features, not least of which is the Safari Park of exotic animals that has been open to the public since 1966. Designed as the first drive-through safari park, there over 500 wild animals can roam freely. According to the Safari Park web site: “Despite the understandable initial concerns of locals with regard to the introduction of lions to Wiltshire, the Safari Park concept has been a great success and Longleat’s ground-breaking innovation has been repeated at wildlife collections all over the world.”

The historic house, gardens, hedge maze, and safari park are open to visitors.

According to atlasobscura.