Our Story

A Hidden Gem Worth Finding

Planting an Idea

In 1972 Jonathan and Phoebe Wheeler and their young family left the city for a rural idyll in County Wicklow, where they nurtured an organic market garden and reared organic beef and lamb.

In 1984 they bought a 50 acre farm in Ballinanty, where Jonathan decided to diversify. His son Will started collecting antique bottles and traditional farming implements and with help of his Dad, collected so much that they had enough for a museum at the farm. Jonathan thought that a hedge maze might be a nice attraction too and – in 1988 – the maze was planted.

Nature and Tradition

Jonathan and Will not only planted a maze, but they built traditional tea rooms and a large farm barn museum too. They planted trees, created nature walks and wildlife havens. By 1996, Greenan Maze was opened to the public for the first time. In 2018 Jonathan passed away, but Will and his wife Anita carry on his wonderful legacy.

In 2021 the hedge maze needed to be replanted so Will and Anita took the opportunity to use locally grown native beech trees, which encourage biodiversity. Their children helped, just as Will had with his Dad years before. We think Jonathan would approve of the wonderful new maze, keeping his spirit of dedication to tradition and nature, alive.