Built in the Early English style, Chislehurst Methodist Church was opened in 1870 and was updated in 2011 to better serve the needs of a 21st century congregation and the wider community. Installation by The Labyrinth Builders of a labyrinth set in a new tiled floor surface forms an important element of the newly refurbished church.
This very unusual design is taken from a water labyrinth in the Qasr al-Azm palace in Damascus, Syria and dates from around 1750. The original design was adapted by Jeff Saward in order to create a more balanced labyrinth that would sit well within this church setting. In common with the original it features separate paths for the inward and outward journeys. This rendering also has enlarged spaces between each turn to allow for the setting out of prayer stations.
Design | Jeff Saward (based on a water labyrinth in the Qasr al-Azm Palace in Damascus) |
Construction | The Labyrinth Builders, August 2011 |
Style | Non archetypal design with separate entrance and exit paths |
Circuits | 6 |
Diameter | 6.92m (7.68m including surround) |
Distance to the centre | 74.5m (entrance to exit) |
Paths | 306mm wide formed by 75mm square tiles. |
Number of tiles | 8000 |
Walls | 76mm wide formed by a single course of square tiles |