The Whitchurch Maze Project
By Nick Brazil
For photos of the Maze project please click here.
1 - The Naming of Names - March 2004
1 - The Naming of Names - March 2004
This
year work on the Maze has been steady and encouraging.
Its centrepiece the sundial, has been in
place for some months now and orders for nearly 80 named bricks have been
taken.
We
had hoped to have these put in the ground by the end of March but unfortunately
the original Matthews bricks we planned to use proved unsuitable. A search is on
for an alternative brick and it is hoped this small obstacle will be overcome
within the next week. The original idea of picking the letters out in black pain
has been dropped. This is because no matter how tough and weatherproof the paint
it would inevitably suffer wear and tear making the bricks look tatty. We also
feel that unpainted lettering actually looks better.
In
January we applied for a grant from the SODC Community Investment Fund in order
to buy all the bricks for the Maze. A decision on this is expected within the
next month. Naturally we hope this will be successful, but if this does not
prove to be the case, the bricks will be purchased anyway at no drain on the
public purse. Our main concern is to have the bulk of it completed in time for
it to be a feature in this year’s Garden
Walk.
In
the meantime Peter Woolhouse and I have been developing a method to create the
“watershed” plaques. Some of these will mark important landmarks in the
village history and others the distances and directions of significant places
such as The Thames Source and The South Pole.
An
additional purpose of the Maze is to create an ecological haven of peace and
tranquillity where humans and wild life coexist.
To this end several bird boxes and an owl hide have been placed at
various points in the surrounding undergrowth. This way we can ensure that the
abundant bird life will continue to visit and nest in this beautiful corner of
our village.
WotHabs
are also planning to establish an area of wild flowers in memory of Lady Rose.
This will be situated on the southern boundary of the maze.
Within
the next month excavation will start on the Maze paths and volunteers to help
complete this task would be more than welcome. If you would like to help or
purchase a named brick please do not hesitate to contact me,
Nick Brazil, at The Garden Flat, The Mount, Hardwick Rd.,
Whitchurch-on-Thames, Reading RG8 7HW Telephone:
01189841602 or e-mail : click
here
On Easter
Since then our progress has been quite breathtaking. Peter Woolhouse has
laid nearly 1000 bricks. Many of these have the names of both past and present
residents engraved on them. These
are held in place by two and a half tons of the mortar all hand mixed in a wheel
barrow. No wonder the Maze site has
been nicknamed “Woolhouse and Brazil’s Green Gym”!
Generous support from everyone in the village continues unabated which is
extremely encouraging. It is very heart warming to see people just arrive at the
site prepared to roll their sleeves up and cut turf, infill or carry bricks. As
a result we have now nearly excavated the fourth of five circles. In three of
these the brickwork is now complete.
Many
people have also responded generously and bought engraved bricks. To date we
have sold approximately 160 named bricks although the number increases by the
day. There can be few more satisfying experiences than showing someone a brick
with the name of their children or pets occupying pride of place in the Maze.
As
the project takes shape, we have had an increasing number of visitors. Whilst
many of these are local, there have also been people from as far afield as
Canada and Denmark. On one memorable occasion a group of South American students
came to admire our work.
“Where
are you from?” I asked.
“Brazil,”
they replied.
“Well, you’ll be pleased to know that you are standing in the middle of a genuine Brazilian Maze.”
It
is not often in life one is handed such tailor made punchlines.
On
Easter Monday another group of children also had an impromptu history lesson.
One of the bricks at the top of the inner circle bears the date 1066. It
is placed in this prominent position because it was the year that England was
last invaded changing the land forever.
“What
do those numbers mean?” One of the young visitors asked pointing at this
brick.
“Well,”
I replied in my best schoolmasterly tone. “That is Ten Sixty-Six, a very
important year in our history. Can any of you tell me what happened then?”
As
the children hummed and hahed screwing up
their faces it was clear none of them knew the answer. Then one little boy had a
burst of inspiration.
“I
know!” he shouted. “It was the year we won the World Cup!”
Well,
what’s nine hundred years between friends?
We
hope people continue to visit the Thyme Maze since it continues to grow by the
week. Our aim is to have it ready to
become a worthy addition to this year’s Garden Walk.
If
you are still wondering whether to buy a brick then hurry because the cut off
date is May 31st. If you would like to help or
purchase a named brick please do not hesitate to contact me,
Nick Brazil, at The Garden Flat, The Mount, Hardwick Rd.,
Whitchurch-on-Thames, Reading RG8 7HW Telephone:
01189841602 or e-mail : click
here
On
a quiet summer evening on June 20th Peter Woolhouse laid the final
named brick in The Whitchurch Thyme Maze. It
was only ten weeks since the first turf was cut by Geoff Weir but we had met our
target of having the Official Opening on the same day as The Garden Walk on the
following Sunday. In that time Pete had laid over 2000 bricks and I had mixed
four tons of mortar in a wheelbarrow. His phrase:
“Knock up another gauge of muck just to
keep your hand in.” will remain with me into my dotage.
When
Sunday 27th dawned I glanced anxiously at the sky. The previous day
had been dreadful with torrential rain. The forecast for that day was better but
one can never take the weather for granted. In the event, it was perfect with
brilliant sunshine interspersed with fluffy clouds.
It
is often said that people vote with their feet. Well if that is so, they
certainly gave the Maze a resounding vote of confidence on that memorable day.
I
had no idea how well attended the opening would be so I was delighted to see a
hundred and fifty people filling the meadow. Many of them of course were
residents who had engraved bricks. Others came from as far afield as
As
I launched into my speech I bore in mind Polonius’ advice in Hamlet: “If brevity is the soul of Wit then I’ll be brief”.
I
think I followed his advice better than he did. In four minutes I had said all I
needed particularly in thanking everyone involved. Indeed I owe a great debt of
thanks to many people for ensuring my original idea become a reality in such a
short time.
We
were also very grateful to Tony Voysey for agreeing to open the maze with his
thoughtful speech reminding us of the ancient origins of mazes and labyrinths.
After that the proceedings really went with a bang.
It
was a rare privilege to have this event marked with a salute of ancient
musketry. For this we are indebted to the local branch of The Muzzle Loaders
Association of Great Britain. Without doubt their volley added a uniqueness and
style to this historic occasion.
Large
numbers of people stayed to enjoy their picnics in the beautiful surroundings of
The Maze Meadow. This reinforced my
belief that Whitchurch is not only
a village but also a large “family.”
We
often do not realise the ultimate consequences of our actions. When I
first thought of the Maze I never foresaw how it would set fire to the
collective imagination. Whether it
was purchasing engraved bricks or actually coming to help create it by cutting
turf so many members of the community helped to make the maze a reality. During
the course of its construction I came to know many of my neighbours well. I also
feel that the project has had a positive bonding effect on the village.
The
involvement and interest of children, particularly the pupils at The Whitchurch
Primary School was immensely
rewarding. They have already adopted the maze as their special place and I know
many of them are regular visitors.
So
what about the future? Although the main part of the Maze is now complete there
are the distance and village history plaques to be installed. Once again, the
pupils at the school are providing valuable help by identifying special places
throughout the world to have a place in the Maze.
The
plan is to create these plaques in high strength mortar with lettering impressed
in them. But if anyone has a better idea regarding techniques or materials
please do not hesitate to contact me at the address given at the end of the
article.
In
creating The Whitchurch Thyme Maze we also hope to have provided a focal point
for future village activities. A barbecue marking the first anniversary of its
opening is already planned. We also think it would lend itself to concerts such
as “Jazz at The Maze” and some form of open air art exhibitions. Certainly a
Maze cutting party would help keep it in trim. Just bring your mowers and turf
cutters!
If
anyone has other ideas for Maze based events please do not hold back. Its your
Maze please use it as much as possible.
Ó Nick Brazil 2004
For photos of the Maze project please click here.