‘Destruction’ of iconic Robin Hood tree triggers outrage as boy, 16, arrested – live

Green Party peer Natalie Bennett has shared a tribute to the fallen Sycamore Gap’s tree.

“Last survivor, gone. A tragically apt metaphor for UK #StateofNature”, Ms Bennett shared via X.

“It’s worth noting that the butchered sycamore tree once stood among many others”.

On Friday, a police presence was still at the site of the fallen Sycamore Gap tree, with forensics officers taking measurements and samples from the remains and photographing the area.

One was heard saying: “In 31 years of forensics I’ve never examined a tree.”

Sharon Hodgson, Labour MP for Washington and Sunderland West, described the deliberate felling of the Sycamore Gap tree as “senseless destruction.”

“Heart-breaking news about the Sycamore Gap tree. A stunning piece of the North East’s imagery has been destroyed overnight.

“This senseless destruction of an iconic and beautiful natural landmark leaves me extremely sad. Why would anyone do such a thing?”

An author has asked the public to “rethink” its relationship with the sycamore maple tree following the destruction of the Sycamore Gap.

“In the light of Sycamore Gap, is it time to rethink our relationship with the great sycamore maple, a species often maligned for perceived lack of biodiversity (a myth), its propensity to seed itself freely causing gardeners to curse its fecundity, and for being ‘non-native’”, Paul Wood, author of ‘London’s Street Trees’ and ‘London is a Forest’ wrote on X.

“This last point I find most dispiriting. It is unclear when sycamores were introduced from the near continent, but they have been here for a v long time, & are now a key component of our flora.

“It is true that they do not occur in ancient managed woodlands, but they do otherwise act like a native species and may be one of the saviours of our landscapes as other species, like ash, succumb to pathogens as our elms did within living memory.”

In her latest exclusive poem, Frieda Hughes mourns the late, great tree at Hadrian’s Wall – and also muses on what it feels like to be a ‘fugitive’ in London, late at night.

Writer Robert Macfarlane has described the Sycamore Gap tree’s destruction as “part of the broader war on nature.”

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday, Mr Macfarlane noted that the tree was savaged on the eve of the publication of the State of Nature report, which details the status of the UK’s wildlife.

“That report was disastrous – one in six species heading for possible extinction. Nature is under attack in these islands and has been for a long time”, he said.

“There’s a line by [the poet] WH Auden written 70 years ago. He says: ‘A culture is no better than its woods.’ Well, we have not looked after our woods well. This is part of the broader war on nature.

“It was a film star – it starred in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. It was a tree that ashes were scattered under, marriages were made under, and it was a shelter for tired walkers.

“It stood in that gap in the wall, and it survived the winds that howl through that notch. It stood in a wall that was a symbol of repression really, but it flourished there. It was a landmark in the region.”

A woman has shared her grief at the Sycamore Gap’s destruction, describing how she scattered her brother’s ashes beside the tree.

“I am grieving all over again. I scattered my brother’s ashes here”, she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“This was OUR place. This was a place in which I found calm and solace, my grounding and orientation.

“This place means EVERYTHING to me. This is more than upsetting right now.”

A mother has shared the heartwarming story of how the Sycamore Gap tree helped her through her fertility journey, noting that visualising it helped her through a traumatic birth experience.

“The iconic image of this tree featured in my fertility hypnotherapy sessions when I was asked to find a calm place. It was a place I visited often in visualisations that in turn saw me become pregnant naturally following many failed IVF treatments over nearly seven years”, one mother told The Independent.

“Then when pregnant with triplets, I faced a life-threatening birth, and as the medical staff prepared me to go under anaesthesia, a nurse told me to think of something calm.

“I closed my eyes thinking I was going to die as I was experiencing a huge haemorrhage, and it was this tree that I thought of. Apparently remaining calm is one of the things that helped to save my life because panic would have caused even further blood loss. I always thanked that tree for helping me to get pregnant and helping me to stay calm which helped save my life.”

A tourist attraction, a film location and a symbol of hope – the felled Sycamore Gap tree was many things to many people.

The 300-year-old natural beauty was one of the most photographed trees in the country and an iconic sight next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland. However, this week it was felled prompting an outpouring of anger and sorrow, from campaigners and the public alike.

It is not clear what happened yet, and a 16-year-old arrested as part of the investigation has now been released on bail. But the outrage over the tree toppling is still palpable.

An archaeologist has said he is “sickened” to hear of Sycamore Gap’s destruction.

“I was sickened when I heard about the cutting down of the sycamore tree. I was an archaeologist on the team which excavated Milecastle 39 (Castle Nick) in 1985”, Paul Joslin told The Independent.

“A few of us would frequently sit and have lunch under the tree and then walk over and gaze down at Crag Lough. My heart soared while watching “Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves” as soon as I saw the tree in that scene.

“In 2021, I returned to Northumberland for a long overdue visit. My wife and I stayed in Bardon Mill, the village where I lived while working on the site.

“We then hiked along the wall to Castle Nick and the sycamore tree. I wanted my wife to experience a place which has always held a special meaning and fond memories for my life.

“I took the attached photo of the tree before we headed out. Even devoid of leaves (as it was taken in late November), the tree was majestic and full of life.”