The National Trust Reveals 'Lost' Maze at Cliveden

SWINDON, England, April 18, 2011 - The National Trust has revealed a 'lost' maze in the gardens at Cliveden
in Buckinghamshire that disappeared for over half a century and has now been
re-created using over 1,000 two metre (six feet six inches) high yew trees.

The fully-fledged maze is based on one that was built for Lord Astor in
1894 but had ceased to be maintained since the mid-1900s.

The new maze, a horticultural project on a scale rarely seen these days,
has taken two years to create, using over 1,000 metres of steel edging and
120 tonnes of gravel to produce 500 metres of path over one third of an acre.
It is the same size as the world-famous Hampton Court maze.

Lord Astor's designs for the maze were discovered in National Trust
archives in 2005. Apart from a few surviving yew trees that provided the
exact location of the maze, little else was known about the original maze.

The two-year project was led by Cliveden's head gardener Andrew Mudge. He
said: "Once we found the old plans in 2005 we just felt compelled to recreate
it. It took a lot of research and planning to firstly draw out the plans, and
to prepare the ground.

"The maze will take a little while to really establish itself and fill
out, but it's fantastic that people can enjoy it straight away. And don't
worry, you can't cheat by pushing through the hedges because they are all
enclosed by metal railings.

"And because it's yet to appear on Google Earth, there's no cheating
using mobile phones either, so it's a real treat for people who want to
puzzle their way in and out of the maze."

Each tree on arrival, weighed approximately 60 kilograms, and four 40
foot long lorries were required to transport them.

Mike Calnan, head of gardens and parks at the National Trust, said:
"Mazes provide a perfect opportunity for people to get outdoors and to have
fun exploring these rare, but important features from our gardening past. The
Cliveden maze will be the most important yew maze the Trust will have
restored to date."

The Maze is a highlight in Cliveden's ongoing renaissance to return it to
its former 19th Century splendour, when the grounds were world famous for
their sophisticated planting and landscaping. Other recent developments
include the opening up of long lost vistas and footpaths and the
re-instatement of historical planting schemes.

The maze is one of six at National Trust properties, alongside the beech
maze at Tatton Park. (www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-tattonpark)

About the National Trust:

The National Trust is a charity with a statutory duty to preserve places
across England, Wales and Northern Ireland 'of historic interest and natural
beauty for the benefit of the nation'.

As Europe's largest conservation charity it protect over 350 historic
houses, 160 gardens, 1,100 kilometres of coastline, 254,000 hectares of land
of outstanding natural beauty, six World Heritage Sites, 28 castles and 60
pubs, including many places to visit in London - and give access to them for
people to enjoy.

The National Trust offers a number of days out (
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-great_days_out.htm)
including gardens to visit (
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-chl/w-places_collections/w-gardens/w-g
ardens-gardenstovisit.htm) and local events. (
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-events.htm)

    PR Contact:

    Jeannette Heard
    Press Officer
    National Trust
    Heelis
    Kemble Drive
    Swindon
    SN2 2NA
    +44(0)1793-817706
    www.nationaltrust.org.uk

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