diff --git a/cypress/integration/rendering/flowchart.spec.js b/cypress/integration/rendering/flowchart.spec.js
index 4c9056711..32115cd2d 100644
--- a/cypress/integration/rendering/flowchart.spec.js
+++ b/cypress/integration/rendering/flowchart.spec.js
@@ -893,4 +893,26 @@ graph TD
       {htmlLabels: true, flowchart: {htmlLabels: true}, securityLevel: 'loose'}
     );
   });
+  it('2050: handling of different rendering direction in subgraphs', () => {
+    imgSnapshotTest(
+      `
+    flowchart LR
+
+      subgraph TOP
+        direction TB
+        subgraph B1
+            direction RL
+            i1 -->f1
+        end
+        subgraph B2
+            direction BT
+            i2 -->f2
+        end
+      end
+      A --> TOP --> B
+      B1 --> B2
+      `,
+      {htmlLabels: true, flowchart: {htmlLabels: true}, securityLevel: 'loose'}
+    );
+  });
 });
diff --git a/cypress/platform/knsv.html b/cypress/platform/knsv.html
index 46bf44fa5..c30289bc1 100644
--- a/cypress/platform/knsv.html
+++ b/cypress/platform/knsv.html
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
     <div>info below</div>
     <div class="flex">
 
-<div class="mermaid" style="width: 100%; height: 20%;">
+<div class="mermaid3" style="width: 100%; height: 20%;">
 stateDiagram-v2
   state S1 {
     sub1 -->sub2
@@ -65,14 +65,23 @@ stateDiagram-v2
   }
 
 </div>
-<div class="mermaid3" style="width: 100%; height: 20%;">
+<div class="mermaid" style="width: 100%; height: 20%;">
     %%{init:{"theme":"base", "themeVariables": {"primaryColor":"#411d4e", "titleColor":"white", "darkMode":true}}}%%
     flowchart LR
 
-    subgraph B1
-        i -->f
+    subgraph TOP
+      direction TB
+      subgraph B1
+          direction RL
+          i1 -->f1
+      end
+      subgraph B2
+          direction BT
+          i2 -->f2
+      end
     end
-    A --> B1 --> B --> B1
+    A --> TOP --> B
+    B1 --> B2
   </div>
   <script src="./mermaid.js"></script>
     <script>
diff --git a/cypress/screenshots/rendering/classDiagram.spec.js/Class diagram -- 17 should render a class diagram when useMaxWidth is true (default) (failed).png b/cypress/screenshots/rendering/classDiagram.spec.js/Class diagram -- 17 should render a class diagram when useMaxWidth is true (default) (failed).png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..13ad6d805
Binary files /dev/null and b/cypress/screenshots/rendering/classDiagram.spec.js/Class diagram -- 17 should render a class diagram when useMaxWidth is true (default) (failed).png differ
diff --git a/cypress/screenshots/rendering/classDiagram.spec.js/Class diagram -- 18 should render a class diagram when useMaxWidth is false (failed).png b/cypress/screenshots/rendering/classDiagram.spec.js/Class diagram -- 18 should render a class diagram when useMaxWidth is false (failed).png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..01f1687bc
Binary files /dev/null and b/cypress/screenshots/rendering/classDiagram.spec.js/Class diagram -- 18 should render a class diagram when useMaxWidth is false (failed).png differ
diff --git a/src/diagrams/flowchart/flowDb.js b/src/diagrams/flowchart/flowDb.js
index 82b34e841..c985aa0a7 100644
--- a/src/diagrams/flowchart/flowDb.js
+++ b/src/diagrams/flowchart/flowDb.js
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ export const lookUpDomId = function(id) {
  * @param style
  * @param classes
  */
-export const addVertex = function(_id, text, type, style, classes) {
+export const addVertex = function(_id, text, type, style, classes, dir) {
   let txt;
   let id = _id;
   if (typeof id === 'undefined') {
@@ -103,6 +103,9 @@ export const addVertex = function(_id, text, type, style, classes) {
       });
     }
   }
+  if (typeof dir !== 'undefined') {
+    vertices[id].dir = dir;
+  }
 };
 
 /**
@@ -431,6 +434,7 @@ export const defaultStyle = function() {
  * Clears the internal graph db so that a new graph can be parsed.
  */
 export const addSubGraph = function(_id, list, _title) {
+  // console.log('addSubGraph', _id, list, _title);
   let id = _id.trim();
   let title = _title;
   if (_id === _title && _title.match(/\s/)) {
@@ -440,8 +444,13 @@ export const addSubGraph = function(_id, list, _title) {
     const prims = { boolean: {}, number: {}, string: {} };
     const objs = [];
 
-    return a.filter(function(item) {
+    let dir = direction.trim();
+    const nodeList = a.filter(function(item) {
       const type = typeof item;
+      if (item.stmt && item.stmt === 'dir') {
+        dir = item.value;
+        return false;
+      }
       if (item.trim() === '') {
         return false;
       }
@@ -451,11 +460,13 @@ export const addSubGraph = function(_id, list, _title) {
         return objs.indexOf(item) >= 0 ? false : objs.push(item);
       }
     });
+    return { nodeList, dir };
   }
 
   let nodeList = [];
 
-  nodeList = uniq(nodeList.concat.apply(nodeList, list));
+  const { nodeList: nl, dir } = uniq(nodeList.concat.apply(nodeList, list));
+  nodeList = nl;
   if (version === 'gen-1') {
     log.warn('LOOKING UP');
     for (let i = 0; i < nodeList.length; i++) {
@@ -468,9 +479,9 @@ export const addSubGraph = function(_id, list, _title) {
   title = title || '';
   title = common.sanitizeText(title, config);
   subCount = subCount + 1;
-  const subGraph = { id: id, nodes: nodeList, title: title.trim(), classes: [] };
+  const subGraph = { id: id, nodes: nodeList, title: title.trim(), classes: [], dir };
 
-  log.info('Adding', subGraph.id, subGraph.nodes);
+  log.info('Adding', subGraph.id, subGraph.nodes, subGraph.dir);
 
   /**
    * Deletes an id from all subgraphs
diff --git a/src/diagrams/flowchart/flowRenderer-v2.js b/src/diagrams/flowchart/flowRenderer-v2.js
index d5fead9dd..695444b09 100644
--- a/src/diagrams/flowchart/flowRenderer-v2.js
+++ b/src/diagrams/flowchart/flowRenderer-v2.js
@@ -147,6 +147,7 @@ export const addVertices = function(vert, g, svgId) {
       domId: flowDb.lookUpDomId(vertex.id),
       haveCallback: vertex.haveCallback,
       width: vertex.type === 'group' ? 500 : undefined,
+      dir: vertex.dir,
       type: vertex.type,
       padding: getConfig().flowchart.padding
     });
@@ -163,6 +164,7 @@ export const addVertices = function(vert, g, svgId) {
       domId: flowDb.lookUpDomId(vertex.id),
       width: vertex.type === 'group' ? 500 : undefined,
       type: vertex.type,
+      dir: vertex.dir,
       padding: getConfig().flowchart.padding
     });
   });
@@ -385,7 +387,7 @@ export const draw = function(text, id) {
   for (let i = subGraphs.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
     subG = subGraphs[i];
     log.info('Subgraph - ', subG);
-    flowDb.addVertex(subG.id, subG.title, 'group', undefined, subG.classes);
+    flowDb.addVertex(subG.id, subG.title, 'group', undefined, subG.classes, subG.dir);
   }
 
   // Fetch the verices/nodes and edges/links from the parsed graph definition
diff --git a/src/diagrams/flowchart/parser/flow-direction.spec.js b/src/diagrams/flowchart/parser/flow-direction.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d03ac74ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/diagrams/flowchart/parser/flow-direction.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+import flowDb from '../flowDb';
+import flow from './flow';
+import filter from 'lodash/filter';
+import { setConfig } from '../../../config';
+
+setConfig({
+  securityLevel: 'strict'
+});
+
+describe('when parsing directions', function() {
+  beforeEach(function() {
+    flow.parser.yy = flowDb;
+    flow.parser.yy.clear();
+    flow.parser.yy.setGen('gen-2');
+  });
+
+
+  fit('should use default direction from top level', function() {
+    const res = flow.parser.parse(`flowchart TB
+    subgraph A
+      a --> b
+    end`);
+
+    const subgraphs = flow.parser.yy.getSubGraphs();
+    expect(subgraphs.length).toBe(1);
+    const subgraph = subgraphs[0];
+    expect(subgraph.nodes.length).toBe(2);
+    expect(subgraph.nodes[0]).toBe('b');
+    expect(subgraph.nodes[1]).toBe('a');
+    expect(subgraph.id).toBe('A');
+    expect(subgraph.dir).toBe('TB');
+  });
+  fit('should handle a subgraph with a direction', function() {
+    const res = flow.parser.parse(`flowchart TB
+    subgraph A
+      direction BT
+      a --> b
+    end`);
+
+    const subgraphs = flow.parser.yy.getSubGraphs();
+    expect(subgraphs.length).toBe(1);
+    const subgraph = subgraphs[0];
+    expect(subgraph.nodes.length).toBe(2);
+    expect(subgraph.nodes[0]).toBe('b');
+    expect(subgraph.nodes[1]).toBe('a');
+    expect(subgraph.id).toBe('A');
+    expect(subgraph.dir).toBe('BT');
+  });
+  fit('should use the last defined direction', function() {
+    const res = flow.parser.parse(`flowchart TB
+    subgraph A
+      direction BT
+      a --> b
+      direction RL
+    end`);
+
+    const subgraphs = flow.parser.yy.getSubGraphs();
+    expect(subgraphs.length).toBe(1);
+    const subgraph = subgraphs[0];
+    expect(subgraph.nodes.length).toBe(2);
+    expect(subgraph.nodes[0]).toBe('b');
+    expect(subgraph.nodes[1]).toBe('a');
+    expect(subgraph.id).toBe('A');
+    expect(subgraph.dir).toBe('RL');
+  });
+
+  fit('should handle nested subgraphs 1', function() {
+    const res = flow.parser.parse(`flowchart TB
+    subgraph A
+      direction RL
+      b-->B
+      a
+    end
+    a-->c
+    subgraph B
+      direction LR
+      c
+    end`);
+
+    const subgraphs = flow.parser.yy.getSubGraphs();
+    expect(subgraphs.length).toBe(2);
+
+    const subgraphA = filter(subgraphs,o => o.id === 'A')[0];
+    const subgraphB = filter(subgraphs,o => o.id === 'B')[0];
+
+    expect(subgraphB.nodes[0]).toBe('c');
+    expect(subgraphB.dir).toBe('LR');
+    expect(subgraphA.nodes).toContain('B');
+    expect(subgraphA.nodes).toContain('b');
+    expect(subgraphA.nodes).toContain('a');
+    expect(subgraphA.nodes).not.toContain('c');
+    expect(subgraphA.dir).toBe('RL');
+  });
+
+});
diff --git a/src/diagrams/flowchart/parser/flow.jison b/src/diagrams/flowchart/parser/flow.jison
index 53370ec45..a0b1b0019 100644
--- a/src/diagrams/flowchart/parser/flow.jison
+++ b/src/diagrams/flowchart/parser/flow.jison
@@ -92,6 +92,12 @@ that id.
 <dir>\s*">"              {   this.popState();  return 'DIR'; }
 <dir>\s*"^"              {   this.popState();  return 'DIR'; }
 <dir>\s*"v"              {   this.popState();  return 'DIR'; }
+
+.*direction\s+TB[^\n]*                                      return 'direction_tb';
+.*direction\s+BT[^\n]*                                      return 'direction_bt';
+.*direction\s+RL[^\n]*                                      return 'direction_rl';
+.*direction\s+LR[^\n]*                                      return 'direction_lr';
+
 [0-9]+                { return 'NUM';}
 \#                    return 'BRKT';
 ":::"                 return 'STYLE_SEPARATOR';
@@ -327,6 +333,7 @@ statement
     // {$$=yy.addSubGraph($3,$5,$3);}
     | subgraph separator document end
     {$$=yy.addSubGraph(undefined,$3,undefined);}
+    | direction
     ;
 
 separator: NEWLINE | SEMI | EOF ;
@@ -537,6 +544,17 @@ alphaNumStatement
         {$$='-';}
     ;
 
+direction
+    : direction_tb
+    { $$={stmt:'dir', value:'TB'};}
+    | direction_bt
+    { $$={stmt:'dir', value:'BT'};}
+    | direction_rl
+    { $$={stmt:'dir', value:'RL'};}
+    | direction_lr
+    { $$={stmt:'dir', value:'LR'};}
+    ;
+
 alphaNumToken  : PUNCTUATION | AMP | UNICODE_TEXT | NUM| ALPHA | COLON | COMMA | PLUS | EQUALS | MULT | DOT | BRKT| UNDERSCORE ;
 
 idStringToken  : ALPHA|UNDERSCORE |UNICODE_TEXT | NUM|  COLON | COMMA | PLUS | MINUS | DOWN |EQUALS | MULT | BRKT | DOT | PUNCTUATION | AMP;