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, which was created by glacial meltwater and was a popular photographic subject, described as one of the most photographed trees in the country and an emblem for the North East of England. 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 in what Northumbria Police described as "an act of vandalism". The felling of the tree led to an outpouring of anger and sadness. Two men from Cumbria, aged 38 and 31, were arrested in October 2023 and charged in April 2024 with criminal damage both to the tree and to the adjacent Hadrian's Wall.

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. 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. The tree stood within one of these dips with the cliff and wall rising dramatically either side of it. The wall and adjacent land, including the site of the tree, are owned by the National Trust.

A popular 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. It was visible from the nearby B6318 Military Road. 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.

History

The tree was a sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus). According to the National Trust, the tree was planted in the late 19th century by the previous land owner, Newcastle lawyer John Clayton (1792–1890) as a landscape feature, making it about 150 years old. Clayton was part of a wealthy family and he inherited the Roman fort of Chesters. He was a keen excavator of Hadrian's Wall; for almost 50 years, he excavated every year, enhancing the understanding of the construction of Hadrian’s Wall, and became worried that it was being destroyed by people taking the dressed stone to build farmhouses and other buildings. By the time he died he owned five forts and around 20 miles of Hadrian’s Wall. By purchasing these sites he brought them under his protection.

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", although in reality it was some 170 miles (273 km) from Sherwood Forest. 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. It has also appeared in the TV crime drama Vera and in the documentary series More Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green. The site was popular among astrophotographers and stargazers. 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.

In 2016, the tree was nominated for England's Tree of the Year competition. It was selected from 200 competitors for the final shortlist of 10 and won the competition with 2,542 votes out of 11,913. 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. 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.

Felling and investigation

The tree was felled in the early morning of 28 September 2023. Locals heard nothing due to the high winds caused by Storm Agnes. The Northumberland National Park Authority said they believed it was done deliberately. Northumbria Police described the felling of the tree as "a deliberate act of vandalism". The tree appeared to have been cut down with a chainsaw, at the base of its trunk, with a white line spray painted on it just below the cut. 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.

Northumbria Police arrested a 16-year-old boy and a man in his sixties in connection with the tree's felling, and later arrested two more men in their 30s from Cumbria. The force later indicated no further action will be taken against the boy and the man in his 60s, while the other two men remained on bail, and were charged with criminal damage to the tree and to Hadrian's Wall in connection with the felling in April 2024.

On 15 May 2024 two men, charged with criminal damage both to the tree and to Hadrian's Wall, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court. One entered pleas of not guilty to both charges and the second entered no plea. In June 2024 the second man entered a not guilty plea. Both men were released on bail, with the trial scheduled for December 2024.

Aftermath

The destruction of the tree led to an outpouring of anger and sadness. Over the decades, the tree had become the backdrop for marriage proposals, weddings and spreading the ashes of loved ones. The National Trust's regional director for the North of England, said:

The outpouring we've seen shows just how important the connection is between people and nature in its many forms, and as we consider plans for this special tree, and this very special place, we'll also look to harness that support for trees, landscapes and nature all across the country, and use the sycamore as a symbol of recovery.

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". Seeds were collected from the tree which are to be used to propagate new saplings.

A preliminary inspection of Hadrian's Wall by Historic England revealed "some damage". The felled tree was cut up and removed by crane for storage on National Trust property.

On 8 March 2024, BBC News reported that the first seedlings had begun to sprout from genetic material recovered at the site. The first seedling was presented to King Charles III who announced that it would be planted in the Windsor Great Park once it had matured into a sapling.

Gallery

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  Sycamore Gap panorama
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  View looking west from the north side of Hadrian's Wall
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  The tree in summer 2018
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  Astrophotography at the Sycamore Gap