The Millennium Labyrinth

The Millennium Labyrinth is situated in the gardens of Holy Trinity church at the end of Roper St. It was built to commemorate the year 2000 and can be used just for fun or for meditation and spiritual reflection.

It is based on the Labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral in France which was built at the beginning of the 13 Century by the Templars. These became popular in mediaeval Cathedrals and could be used for repentance or as a replacement for pilgrimage which lead to it also being known as the Road of Jerusalem. Having such spiritual connections it is  fitting centre piece to the gardens and as such replaces Holy Trinity church which was built on this site in 1715 but demolished in 1949. One end of the gardens still contains many old gravestones from that period. The spiritual aspect is reflected in an inscription on a large stone by the entrance:

"Walk this path with an open heart & mind seeking awareness as you journey"

The word labyrinth is usually used to refer to a unicursal maze - that means one like this that has a single path, without junctions. It appears to lead you towards the centre several times before veering outwards again. The design of the Chartres Labyrinth of eleven circuits in four quadrants is different from the Classical labyrinth design of seven circuits, which is 4000 years old, found on ancient Greek coins and connected with tale of Theseus and the Minotaur.

The gardens are quite small but well maintained and provide a good place for a midday break in sunny weather.