Entertainment Swindon

A dozen gardeners are close to completing one of the biggest jobs in horticulture; cutting the giant hedge maze at Longleat.

A team of 12 take part in the weeklong hedge cut, which takes almost 500 hours to complete. 

Made up of more than 16,000 English yew trees, with 2.8kms of pathways and covering an area of 1.5 acres, the Wiltshire maze is one of the largest in the world.

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 at Longleat, 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 to ensure future growth.”