The Maze
With a diameter of 49 metres, the Crystal Palace Park Maze is one of the largest in London and it has been bewildering and entertaining visitors since the 1870s.
Consisting of towering hedgerows and a confounding network of pathways, the Maze is free and open to all.
History of the Maze
It was completely redesigned and renovated to mark the launch of Girlguiding’s Centenary celebrations in 2009. The Park has special significance to Girlguiding. On 4 September 1909, it was the location of the first Scout Rally, which a small group of girls attended. They approached Lord Robert Baden-Powell, and asked that he set up ‘something for the girls’. As a result, Lord Baden-Powell founded the ‘Girl Guides’ with 6,000 girls registering in 1910. Accordingly, Girlguiding UK chose to commission the renovation of the Maze in its Centenary year, drawing on these strong historical links. More than 6,000 members of Girlguiding UK attended the launch of the refurbished maze.
As part of the refurbishment of the Maze and surrounding landscaping, artists Brook & Black (Leora Brook & Tiffany Black) were chosen to design an interactive artwork to appeal to all ages.
You can read more about the Maze’s history – and find your way around it with a map, if you’re short on time – on a sign outside the maze.
Getting here
The maze is in the north section of the park and is open during the opening hours of the park.
For the entrance to the maze, you can use what three words: ///snow.drove.trips
Aerial photo credit - Adrian Miah