THIS remarkable maze has been lovingly crafted from more than one-and-half million maize plants.

It covers an area the size of 15 football pitches, but has remained a secret until this exclusive Evening Press bird's eye image.

Heslington farmer Tom Pearcy, pictured, has spent weeks completing the puzzle, using machinery to cut down plants with a team of helpers.

The finished design marks the 400th anniversary of the 1605 gunpowder plot, led by infamous York son Guy Fawkes.

It depicts the Big Ben clock tower at the Houses of Parliament, with the dates 1605 and 2005 on either side.

The 30-acre site, off Hull Road, near the Grimston Bar Park & Ride, will be opened to visitors on Saturday.

It is expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors from across the region.

When the attraction closes for the winter, the maize will be harvested for silage to feed Tom's Jersey cows, whose milk is used to produce the ice cream which is sold at the site.

Last year Tom stunned visitors with a design in the shape of the legendary steam locomotive the Flying Scotsman to celebrate its new home at the National Railway Museum.

In 2003, the maze was reinvented as a spider's web, attracting about 20,000 visitors, and picked up the best newcomer accolade at the prestigious York Tourism Awards.

The first maze - a Viking longboat - was created in 2002 as a way of diversifying the family farming business.

The maze will be open until September 11.

Entry is £4.50 for adults and for £3.50 children. Under-fives get in free. More information is available at www.yorkmaze.com

Updated: 10:27 Tuesday, July 12, 2005