Sycamore Gap Tree
Vorlage:Short description Vorlage:Use dmy dates Vorlage:Infobox tree 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. The tree was felled in the early morning of 28 September 2023 in an act of vandalism.
Location
The Sycamore Gap Tree was by Hadrian's Wall at grid reference NY 761677, between Milecastle 39 and Crag Lough, about Vorlage:Convert west of Housesteads Roman Fort in Northumberland, northern England.[1] This section of the wall follows the edge of a cliffVorlage:Sndan outcrop of the Whin SillVorlage:Sndand 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]Vorlage:Clarify
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 Vorlage:Convert 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]
2023 felling

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 later arrested in connection.[18]
Speaking the next day, 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
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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
References
External links
- ↑ a b c d e f g Famous Hadrian's Wall tree wins national competition In: Carlisle News and Star, 31 December 2016. Abgerufen im 11 July 2018
- ↑ a b Sycamore Gap on Hadrian's Wall is 'Tree of the Year' In: ITV News, 18 December 2016. Abgerufen im 11 July 2018 (englisch).
- ↑ Nicola Harley: Robin Hood tree wins coveted Tree of the Year crown In: The Telegraph, 17 December 2016. Abgerufen im 11 July 2018
- ↑ a b c Tony Henderson: Is Sycamore Gap the most photographed tree in the UK? In: Newcastle Evening Chronicle, 16 February 2018. Abgerufen im 11 July 2018
- ↑ a b c d e The Sycamore Gap Tree. In: European Tree of the Year. Environmental Partnership Association, archiviert vom am 20. Juni 2020; abgerufen am 29. September 2023.
- ↑ a b c Read about Sycamore Gap. In: National Trust. Archiviert vom am 4. Juli 2022 (englisch).
- ↑ a b c Samantha Jagger, Tim Dodd: Sycamore Gap: Shoots could regrow from felled tree, says trust In: BBC News, 29 September 2023
- ↑ Our statement on the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree. In: nationaltrust.org.uk. 29. September 2023, abgerufen am 30. September 2023.
- ↑ Kelly Kizer Whitt: Sycamore Gap tree in the UK, remembered in images. In: earthsky.org. 28. September 2023, abgerufen am 28. September 2023.
- ↑ TV crew hurt in air crash In: BBC News, 30 May 2003. Abgerufen im 1 March 2021
- ↑ Star gardener escapes 'copter death In: Evening Chronicle, 30 May 2003. Abgerufen im 1 March 2021 (englisch).
- ↑ Robyn Vinter, Josh Halliday: Boy, 16, arrested after felling of famous Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian’s Wall In: The Guardian, 28. September 2023. Abgerufen am 1. Oktober 2023 (britisches Englisch).
- ↑ World famous Sycamore Gap believed to have been 'deliberately felled', ITV, 28 September 2023
- ↑ Robyn Vinter: Famous Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall found cut down In: The Guardian, 28 September 2023
- ↑ Laurence Sleator, Adam Vaughan: Arrest after Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall 'deliberately felled' In: The Times, 28 September 2023 (englisch).
- ↑ Robyn Vinter, Josh Halliday: Boy, 16, arrested after felling of famous Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian’s Wall In: The Guardian, 28. September 2023. Abgerufen am 1. Oktober 2023 (britisches Englisch).
- ↑ Sycamore Gap: Boy, 16, arrested after Hadrian's Wall tree felled, BBC News, 28 September 2023
- ↑ Sycamore Gap tree: Second person arrested in connection with felling of iconic landmark In: Sky News, 29 September 2023