A Backyard Labyrinth

The primary goal of this project was simply to build a flat circular area in our yard, for canine, feline, and human lounging. The secondary goal was to use up as much of our leftover brick as possible, to avoid having to move it.

We considered many possible brick patterns for a circle (rays, spirals, concentric circles, etc.) and then Lisa said "Let's build a labyrinth!" So we did. The pattern is my own, a sort of shortened and modified version of the oft-copied Chartres labyrinth, with 3 arms instead of 4. (Want to learn more about labyrinths and mazes? Go to Jo Edkin's excellent maze pages.)

Here are a few photos of the project (click on the thumbnails for a larger version), and a time-lapse movie of the construction. We planted it in chamomile, for fragrant treading (it will take a while to grow in, but will be lovely when it does). The labyrinth is, as you can see, very small (about 10 feet in diameter) so actually walking the path requires narrow feet and fine balance. But even the paddle-footed among us can straddle the path and walk on the bricks, and have a satisfying journey that way.

Watch the construction movie!

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