Trim & Proper

Longleat's iconic Hedge maze has undergone its annual trim.

The maze is made up of over 16,000 English yew trees with 2.8 kilometres of pathways over 1.5 acres of land. A team of 12 take part in the weeklong hedge cut, which takes almost 500 hours to complete.

Originally planted in 1978, the hedge is trimmed to 6ft 5in with work taking place from 6am  over five days to minimise disruption to guests.

James Dare, Head of Facilities, said “We can only trim the maze at certain times of year in order to make sure the hedges are presented at their very best for the summer and also ensure future growth.”