People from around the world have been paying tribute to one of the UK's most famous trees, which officials believe was deliberately cut down on Wednesday. The tree at Sycamore Gap, beside Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, was believed to be about 300 years old. It grew in a natural dip in the landscape and featured in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner. Imogen Potter and her family were amongst the last people to see the tree when they walked to it on Wednesday. She and her family hiked to Sycamore Gap to mark her mother's 60th birthday. "We all woke up yesterday morning shocked and saddened by the news and felt strange that we are likely the last few people to see this natural beauty," Imogen says. "If we had gone on the walk on the last day of our trip it would have been very different. We are all very shocked and seeing the news is quite surreal." "It was our first visit to north-east England, we took a trip to Hadrian's Wall with our son and dog," says Katahrine Barton. "Of course, like millions, we were familiar with this tree having been made so famous by Kevin Costner! Standing alone in such a special place, steeped in history amongst the stones of Hadrian's Wall made it particularly special." Kris Hodgetts has shared pictures he took of Sycamore Gap during his last night-time visit. "When I saw the news yesterday morning I thought it was a Photoshop hoax," says Kris. "We haven't just lost another tree but a symbol of something natural in its perfect form which can't be replaced by a statue or a memorial." Miles Courage lives in Hampshire and had a family reunion at the Sycamore Gap tree last year. "We grew up in Northumberland and I am one of four siblings. When we get together at Christmas and half term we often go there. "It is such a memorable and cool tree in an amazing location and is unique. I also had a photo in 1992 with friends in the tree and now the next generation can't do that. It's a loss." 'A place where truly one could be set free' Harriet Robinson was moved to write a poem in tribute to the tree and its "wonderful location". There once was a lonesome tree Which stood for over 400 years witnessing a personal history Far outliving a human life - yet providing comfort and shelter for many and me A place where truly one could be set free Looking up in awe at its majesty The Sycamore Gap made the perfect backdrop for many photographers
I went there as a kid, everyone went off to explore Roman emperor, Hadrian's wall, I climbed a tree and fell a sleep, this is the tree .. playing with the leaf was much fun, and had a lot to do with me being a pilot later in life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sycamore_Gap_Tree
there's much press coverage on it including the Rozzers(police) grabbing an elderly man, but few on the reason for it
Can I ask if there was anything special about this tree other than it's location and being in a movie? I know it's an old tree (sort of) and it's a jerk thing to do, cutting down a tree that's not sick. But what can this person, whoever did it, be charged with?
If i catch the cunt im goanna place him on that stump wearing concrete boots for 200+ years. Some fkn people hey Vee.
From what I heard they are charged with vandalism so far. If it's in a location like a national park or something similar there could be more serious charges, and of course, it may just be illegal to cut down a tree there. I know it is where I live. You need to have a permit.
yeah was in a movie, but it was / is a special place the tree made it even more 'special' a mecha for photographers, artists even the locals 300 years back when it was planted, not much happened in the usa, it was early days but 1723 – The House of Burgesses passes an act to deal with slave rebellions. The French establish Fort Orleans along the Missouri River near Brunswick, Missouri. (says wiki)
People Should Leave Trees Alone They Are A Great Part Of The World An So Beautiful. I Love All Trees An Plants An Flowers. ~Toni~
My God There's More: Walter Renwick, 69, was taken into custody at the weekend before denying he cut down the 300-year-old landmark at Sycamore Gap along Hadrian’s Wall. He has now been released. Three police vans were in the driveway at Plankey Mill farm, eight miles from the scene in Northumberland, while at least seven officers conducted a search on Saturday. Mr Renwick, has been ordered to quit the property where he ran a tourist campsite after losing a two-year legal battle. During the case, he said: ‘I was born here. It is like a tree with roots.’ Mr Renwick said he was not ‘stupid’ enough to cut down the tree, and relatives said he wasn’t in good enough health to commit the crime. ‘The speculation is bloody ridiculous,’ Mr Renwick told the Mail. ‘I’ll tell you this much, I wouldn’t be so sad to do that.’ The 69-year-old said he wasn’t ‘stupid enough’ to chop down the iconic tree ‘It was a lovely tree, an iconic tree, but I mean to go up there and cut that down, I’m not that stupid.’ He added: ‘It makes it sound like me, doesn’t it, because it was a good cut,’ he said, referring to the clean way the tree had been cut down. ‘When I say brilliant, you can tell a good lumberjack by the way he cuts a tree down. I haven’t seen the cut obviously, but I have seen it on the computer.’ Detectives continued to investigate after claims that the damage was done by ‘a professional who knew where they were going to cut’ on a windy night during 83mph Storm Agnes which would possibly have disguised the sound of a chainsaw. The 70ft tree — which featured in 1991 Kevin Costner movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves — was attacked in the dark between Wednesday and Thursday last week. Police at Mr Renwick’s farm at the weekend On Friday, Mr Renwick told The Sun: ‘I didn’t do it.’ But he conceded: ‘I am a former lumberjack and I have just been kicked off my property, so I can see why people have pointed the finger.’ On Friday night, Northumbria Police said they had arrested a man in his 60s and held him overnight. And last night Mr Renwick’s family confirmed to The Sunday Times that he was in police custody. Police had previously arrested a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of causing criminal damage, then released him on bail pending further inquiries. Mr Renwick used to run Plankey Mill farm and campsite but was recently evicted by his landlords, the Jesuits, who are a Catholic order.
Update: 5 months later New life has sprung from the rescued seeds and twigs of the Sycamore Gap tree mysteriously cut down last year, giving hope that the iconic tree has a future. Millions once visited the sycamore tree nestled in a gap in Hadrian's Wall. A national outpouring of shock and dismay followed its felling in September. Police are still investigating what happened in what they call a "deliberate act of vandalism". Two men remain on bail. Just a stump is now left - if it is healthy, a new tree could eventually grow there. Young twigs and seeds thrown to the ground when the tree toppled were salvaged by the National Trust, which cares for the site with the Northumberland National Park Authority. When we inquired about what happened to those specimens, they invited us to see for ourselves. We can't disclose the exact location of the high security greenhouse, except that it is somewhere in Devon. It guards genetic copies of some of the UK's most valuable plants and trees. Its hall of fame includes copies of the apple tree that Sir Isaac Newton said inspired his theories on gravity, and a 2,500-year-old yew that witnessed King Henry VIII's relationship with Anne Boleyn in the 1530s. These are back-up plants - insuring the nation's heritage in case of an outbreak of disease, a devastating storm, or an attack on the trees. No-one expected the sudden loss of the Sycamore Gap tree, once one of the most photographed spots in Britain. Now the green shoots poking through large pots of soil give promise it will live on. The National Trust is still deciding what to do with them once they are strong enough - schools and communities could be given saplings to grow their own Sycamore Gap tree, explains Andy Jasper, director of gardens and parklands. If the stump does not regrow, one might replace it. But for now, the priority is nurturing the tiny shoots. Before entering the greenhouses, we must walk through disinfectant to stop diseases contaminating the site. The blue plastic covers put on our shoes will be incinerated when we leave. In September it was a race against time to get the seeds and living twigs to this special centre. "As soon as you cut something down it's dying," explains Chris Trimmer who runs the nursery. When the tree came down, local horticulturist Rachel Ryver sprang into action - climbing over the damaged tree and wall to collect what is called scion - young twigs with buds. This was vital raw material for grafting genetic copies of the tree. "It was drying out fast - we had to save whatever we could. Hours later I was standing at Hexham post office thinking "nobody knows I'm carrying what's left of the Sycamore Gap tree"," Rachel says. The five bags of twigs, seeds and a few leaves arrived in Devon at 09:30 the next day. Chris Trimmer was waiting. He has worked with plants since he was 12 - decades later, he is one of the UK's leading horticulturists. For him, like many across the country, the story is personal. The first film he went to see with his now-wife was Robin Hood Prince of Thieves - its scene of Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman at Hadrian's Wall catapulted the tree to global fame. Chris is softly-spoken, talking scientifically about the process. "It's our job to graft this stuff," he says. He unpacked the bags, ran tests to check the material was free of disease, then bleached it for five minutes. It was quite a moment. "If one had shown disease, it all would have been destroyed," he says. By 15.30 Chris was done - 20 pieces grafted. But he was lucky. Autumn is a bad time to do this work - it should be done in January when the trees are dormant. He just about got away with it. Grafting is an old technique, used by ancient Egyptians and Romans. "It's a bit Frankenstein-esque - adding body parts onto something else, making a hybrid. But it's worked for hundreds of years," explains Andy Jasper. Using a lime tree as an example, Juliet Stubbington, a propagator who works alongside Chris, demonstrates how it was done. "You have to be confident with a knife," she says. Grafting binds fresh roots with living twigs that have buds of the same species. The hope is that the two knit together to make one larger living young tree. This was the only way to preserve the beloved Sycamore Gap tree. "It is the same tree," Juliet explains. Her work is not just technical to her. "It's lovely to help them grow back. Each one of these trees is a story," she says. The horticulturalists also successfully planted seeds from the Sycamore Gap tree, now its descendants. Five months on, they are looking after nine surviving grafted plants and 40-50 seedlings. "This is literally the first one that came up," Andy Jaspar says, carrying a small pot with a 10cm green shoot. People have cried when holding it, he says. It's next to a type of rhododendron seedling that is the only known one in the world. Juliet says the success rate should be high. Sycamores are famously hardy. But the sense of responsibility is huge and she has to stop herself fussing over them. "The best way to kill something is to over-care for it," she says. Nothing can bring back the tree exactly as it was. It was planted in the natural dip of Hadrian's wall in the late 1800s - time and the weather moulded it into its famous silhouette. That shape is gone but what is born from its ruins will have its own story. It will be three years before horticulturists know if the stump is healthy enough to produce the next tree. Until then, these seedlings hundreds of miles away are primed - each one waiting to see if it could be the next Sycamore Gap tree. (bbc)
YAY Some Good News. I Glad There Might Be A New Tree. Still Very Sad That The Original Was Cut Down Tho ~Toni~
Two men charged over felling of Sycamore Gap tree Two people have been charged in connection with the felling of the world-famous Sycamore Gap tree. Daniel Graham, 38, and Adam Carruthers, 31, both from Cumbria, have been charged with criminal damage both to the tree and to the adjacent Hadrian's Wall. The men were arrested last October and had been on bail since then, Northumbria Police said. The pair are due to appear before Newcastle magistrates on 15 May. The much photographed tree, which has stood next to the Roman wall since the late 1800s, was cut down in September causing an international outpouring of shock and dismay. The tree had been popular with visitors and tourists, with millions of people travelling to the Northumberland site. Det Ch Insp Rebecca Fenney said the force recognised "the strength of feeling in the local community and further afield". But she reminded people "to avoid speculation, including online, which could impact the ongoing case".
Sure are, now they are waiting to see if the trunk is alive, that will take 3 years, currently growing out 100's of cuts perhaps to sell later, even put one in the old truck, is the plan
Little did I know that this story would be going for miles .ed/ Dame Judi named the seedling Antoninus A schoolgirl has helped Dame Judi Dench place a seedling grown from the Sycamore Gap tree at the Chelsea Flower Show. Northumberland pupil Charlotte, seven, and Dame Judi placed the seedling at the National Trust's Octavia Hill Garden at the show on Monday. Charlotte, who goes to Henshaw C.E Primary School near Hexham, said she hoped the seedling would go on to be "like Sycamore Gap". Dame Judi said she had named the seedling Antoninus, after the adopted son of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. The seedling has been grown at the National Trust's Plant Conservation Centre in Devon and will return there after the show. It is the first to go on public display, after photos of small seedlings and buds which sprung from the rescued seeds and twigs of the tree were first shared in March. The seedling will return to the conservation centre after the show Charlotte, who got the got the opportunity to join Dame Judi after winning a competition through her school, said she was "so happy" scientists were trying to grow the tree back. "Sycamore Gap was a big tree and the sapling is like Sycamore Gap's baby," she told the BBC. "I hope the sapling goes to be like Sycamore Gap." Henshaw C.E Primary School’s executive head teacher Michael Glenton accompanied Charlotte to the show along with her parents. He said the school was "thrilled" to be working with the National Trust to remember the Sycamore Gap tree. "The tree is the logo for our two federated schools (together with Greenhead Primary) and we will continue to ensure this important symbol of our community endures," Mr Glenton said. Andrew Jasper, director of gardens and parklands at the National Trust, added: "We hope that those who visit the garden at Chelsea this week will feel that beneficial connection to the natural heritage that we care for and also take inspiration from seeing the seedling - when we first saw the seedlings germinate, we knew there was hope for the tree’s future."