Hedge maze

[1] These early mazes were very low, initially planted with evergreen herbs, but, over time, dwarf box became a more popular option due to its robustness.

Italian architects had been sketching conceptual garden labyrinths as early as 1460, and hundreds of mazes were constructed in Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries.

[2] Initially, the hedge maze was not intended to confuse, but to provide a unicursal walking path.

This maze was adorned with thirty-nine hydraulic sculpture groups depicting Aesop's fables.

The oldest surviving puzzle hedge maze, at Hampton Court Palace in Surrey, England, was built for King William in the late 17th century.

The maze at Traquair
The labyrinth of Versailles was a hedge maze in the Gardens of Versailles , a royal château in France . Pictured is Labyrinte de Versailles by Charles Perrault with engravings by Leclerc and coloured by Jacques Bailly, circa the late 17th century