Sycamore Gap Tree

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Sycamore Gap Tree
View of the tree from the south in October 2020. Hadrian's Wall is visible to the left of and in front of the tree.
Map
SpeciesSycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)
LocationNear Crag Lough, Northumberland, England
Coordinates55°00′13″N 2°22′26″W / 55.00356°N 2.37387°W / 55.00356; -2.37387
Date felled28 September 2023 (2023-09-28)
CustodianNational Trust and Northumberland National Park

The Sycamore Gap Tree or Robin Hood Tree was a sycamore tree standing next to Hadrian's Wall near Crag Lough in Northumberland, England. It was located in a dramatic dip in the landscape and was a popular photographic subject, described as one of the most photographed trees in the country. It derived its alternative name from featuring in a prominent scene in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The tree won the 2016 England Tree of the Year award. It was felled in the early morning of 28 September 2023.

Location

The Sycamore Gap Tree was by Hadrian's Wall at grid reference NY 761677, between Milecastle 39 and Crag Lough, about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Housesteads Roman Fort in Northumberland, northern England.[1] This section of the wall follows the edge of a cliff – an outcrop of the Whin Sill – and several sharp dips in it caused by melting glacial waters.[2] The tree stood within one of these dips with the cliff and wall rising dramatically either side of it.[1] The wall and adjacent land, including the site of the tree, are owned by the National Trust.[1]

A popular tourist attraction, the tree was described as one of the most photographed in the country and the location may be the most photographed point in all of Northumberland National Park.[3][4][5] It was visible from the nearby B6318 Military Road.[1] The name "Sycamore Gap" was coined by a National Trust employee when the Ordnance Survey were remapping the area and asked if the previously unnamed spot had a designation.[6]

History

The tree was a sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus).[5][7] Sources disagree about its age, or why it was planted. According to the National Trust, the tree was planted in the late 19th century by the previous land owner, John Clayton, as a landscape feature.[8] Others, including the BBC, have reported that it was believed to be about 300 years old,[7][5] and have speculated that it once stood alongside others, but that those trees had been removed over time for unknown reasons, possibly to improve sightlines or for gamekeeping purposes.[6][clarification needed]

The tree featured in a key scene near the beginning of the 1991 Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and has subsequently become known as the "Robin Hood Tree".[4][5] It appeared in the music video for Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", a song from the film's soundtrack; the video was shown often on the British TV series Top of the Pops.[1] It has also appeared in the TV crime drama Vera and in the documentary series More Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green.[6] The site was popular among astrophotographers and stargazers.[9] The tree escaped damage on 30 May 2003 when a helicopter filming British Isles – A Natural History crashed around 30 metres (98 ft) away, narrowly avoiding presenter Alan Titchmarsh. The four on board the aircraft were lightly injured.[10][11]

In 2016, the tree was nominated for England's Tree of the Year competition.[4] It was selected from 200 competitors for the final shortlist of 10 and won the competition with 2,542 votes out of 11,913.[2] The prize was a £1,000 grant which was used to survey the health of the tree and to carry out work to protect its roots, which were becoming exposed due to the high volume of foot traffic passing over them.[1] The Sycamore Gap Tree was entered in the 2017 European Tree of the Year contest in which it came 5th out of 16, polling 7,123 votes.[1][5]

Felling

The tree two days after it was felled

The tree was felled in the early morning of 28 September 2023. Locals heard nothing due to the high winds caused by Storm Agnes.[12]

The Northumberland National Park Authority said they believed it was done deliberately.[13] The tree appeared to have been cut down with a chainsaw, at the base of its trunk,[14] with a white line spray painted on it just below the cut.[15] The nature of the cut and the evident sharpness of the saw led police and park rangers to conclude it had been done by someone with considerable skill.[16]

Northumbria Police arrested a 16-year-old boy later that day in connection with the felling, on suspicion of causing criminal damage.[17] A man in his sixties was also arrested the next day in connection with the felling.[18][19]

On 29 September, a National Trust manager said that the stump seemed "healthy" and thought that the tree could possibly regrow in coppiced form, although he added that it would "take a few years to develop into even a small tree and around 150 to 200 years before it is anywhere close to what we have lost".[7]

Gallery

  • Sycamore Gap panorama

    Sycamore Gap panorama

  • View looking west from the north side of Hadrian's Wall

    View looking west from the north side of Hadrian's Wall

  • The tree in summer 2018

    The tree in summer 2018

  • Astrophotography at the Sycamore Gap

    Astrophotography at the Sycamore Gap

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Famous Hadrian's Wall tree wins national competition". Carlisle News and Star. 31 December 2016. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Sycamore Gap on Hadrian's Wall is 'Tree of the Year'". ITV News. 18 December 2016. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  3. ^ Harley, Nicola (17 December 2016). "Robin Hood tree wins coveted Tree of the Year crown". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Henderson, Tony (16 February 2018). "Is Sycamore Gap the most photographed tree in the UK?". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e "The Sycamore Gap Tree". European Tree of the Year. Environmental Partnership Association. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Read about Sycamore Gap". National Trust. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Jagger, Samantha; Dodd, Tim (29 September 2023). "Sycamore Gap: Shoots could regrow from felled tree, says trust". BBC News. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Our statement on the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree". nationaltrust.org.uk. 29 September 2023. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  9. ^ Kelly Kizer Whitt (28 September 2023). "Sycamore Gap tree in the UK, remembered in images". earthsky.org. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  10. ^ "TV crew hurt in air crash". BBC News. 30 May 2003. Archived from the original on 7 October 2003. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Star gardener escapes 'copter death". Evening Chronicle. 30 May 2003. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  12. ^ Vinter, Robyn; Halliday, Josh (28 September 2023). "Boy, 16, arrested after felling of famous Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  13. ^ "World famous Sycamore Gap believed to have been 'deliberately felled'". ITV. 28 September 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  14. ^ Vinter, Robyn (28 September 2023). "Famous Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall found cut down". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  15. ^ Sleator, Laurence; Vaughan, Adam (28 September 2023). "Arrest after Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall 'deliberately felled'". The Times. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  16. ^ Vinter, Robyn; Halliday, Josh (28 September 2023). "Boy, 16, arrested after felling of famous Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Sycamore Gap: Boy, 16, arrested after Hadrian's Wall tree felled". BBC News. 28 September 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  18. ^ "Sycamore Gap tree: Second person arrested in connection with felling of iconic landmark". Sky News. 29 September 2023. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  19. ^ "Sycamore Gap: Man in his 60s bailed over tree felling". BBC News. 2 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.

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Presented content of the Wikipedia article was extracted in 2023-10-03 based on https://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=56621267