A Blip In The Fens

By Alesbirdwin

Escaping the devil

Hilton Turf Maze is situated on the village green.

One of only eight such turf mazes still surviving in England. It was made in 1660 by William Sparrow, a Royalist in Cromwell County, to commemorate the Restoration of Charles II to the Throne. The pattern cut in the turf is unicursal - a single winding track with no forks or blind alleys, coiled into a seemingly endless labyrinth.

Hilton Turf Maze is probably of pagan origin, similar patterns are found in medieval art, notably the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France, and may represent a path to escape the Devil who can only move in straight lines.

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