UK
Boy, 16, arrested over felling of iconic ‘Robin Hood tree’ next to Hadrian’s Wall
Bill McLoughlin
Thu, 28 September 2023
One of the UK’s most photographed trees is believed to have been “deliberately felled” overnight, the Northumberland National Park Authority has said.
The tree at Sycamore Gap, next to Hadrian’s Wall, was famous thanks in part to the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, where it featured prominently.
It was considered a landmark of the north east and the news on Thursday has caused mass anger and even, for some, grief.
Northumbria Police said a 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage in connection with the felling.
The boy remains in custody and is assisting officers with their inquires, the force said.
Northumbria Police said they believe the damage caused to the tree was a deliberate act of vandalism.
Superintendent Kevin Waring, of Northumbria Police, said: “This is a world-renowned landmark and the events of today have caused significant shock, sadness and anger throughout the local community and beyond.
“An investigation was immediately launched following this vandalism, and this afternoon we have arrested one suspect in connection with our enquiries.
“Given our investigation remains at a very early stage, we are keeping an open mind.
“I am appealing to the public for information to assist us - if you have seen or heard anything suspicious that may be of interest to us, please let us know.
“Any information - no matter how small or insignificant you think it may be - could prove absolutely crucial to our enquiries.”
On Thursday morning the national park authority said: “(We) can confirm that sadly, the famous tree at Sycamore Gap has come down over night. We have reason to believe it has been deliberately felled.
“We are working with the relevant agencies and partners with an interest in this iconic North East landmark and will issue more details once they are known.”
The authority is asking the public not to visit the site, near Crag Lough, “whilst we work with our partners to identify what has happened and to make the site safe”.
A spokesperson added: “Sycamore Gap was voted English Tree of the Year in 2016 in the Woodland Trust’s awards and is much-loved by people from across the world.”
The Sycamore Gap tree is probably the most photographed in the country and stands in a dramatic dip in Hadrian’s Wall.
The Northumberland National Park Authority’s website says the Roman Milecastle 39 is just to its left.
Sycamore Gap is looked after by both Northumberland National Park and the National Trust.
The news was met with dismay and outrage by walkers’ groups on social media.
Kim McGuinness, PCC for Northumbria said on X: “I’m devastated that the famous Sycamore is gone.
“I am incandescent that this looks like a deliberate act of vandalism. That tree was ours. An iconic North East landmark.”
Former Tory MP, Rory Stewart said: “The sycamore tree on Hadrian’s Wall is as close as our culture got to a sacred tree - venerated, visited, endlessly represented - anachronistic in age weaving Robin Hood and St Oswald and the frontier forts and tribes of the Roman wall - and now felled like the druids’ groves.”
One woman, who visited the site on Thursday, posted a picture on Facebook of the felled tree with the caption: “An awful moment for all walking Hadrians wall the Sycamore Gap tree has gone! Not the storm an absolute f****** felled it!!”
Another user replied: “I am absolutely heartbroken as someone that is there often taking photos.”
UK police are investigating the 'deliberate felling' of a famous tree at Hadrian's Wall
Thu, September 28, 2023
One of the UK’s most photographed trees has been “deliberately felled” in an apparent act of vandalism, authorities have said Thursday Sept. 28, 2023.
LONDON (AP) — A famous tree that had stood for nearly 200 years next to Hadrian's Wall, a Roman landmark in northern England, was “deliberately felled” in an apparent act of vandalism, authorities said Thursday.
Thousands of visitors each year walk along Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that guarded the Roman Empire's northwestern frontier. Many have paused to admire and photograph the tree at Sycamore Gap, a beloved icon of the landscape that was made famous when it appeared in Kevin Costner’s 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.”
Photographs from the scene on early Thursday showed that the tree was cut down near the base of its trunk, with the rest of it lying on its side.
Northumbria Police said a full investigation is underway.
“The tree is a world-renowned landmark and the vandalism has caused understandable shock and anger throughout the local community and beyond,” they said in a statement.
“This is an incredibly sad day," said superintendent Kevin Waring. “The tree was iconic to the North East and enjoyed by so many who live in or who have visited this region.”
The Northumberland National Park authority asked the public not to visit the felled tree, which was voted English Tree of the Year in 2016.
Alison Hawkins, who was walking on the Hadrian's Wall path, was one of the first people who saw the damage early Thursday.
“It was a proper shock. It’s basically the iconic picture that everyone wants to see," she said. “You can forgive nature doing it but you can’t forgive that."
Police said officers were looking into whether criminal offenses had been committed, and urged anyone with information to come forward.
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