A year after being cut down, the search for answers continues over Sycamore Gap as pair face trial

It’s spring, and like they had done for the past 150 years, the leaves of the Sycamore Gap tree should be unfurling to give yet another seasonal colour change to its most historical landscape.

But the world-famous tree, once prominently located in a natural dip of countryside along Hadrian’s Wall, is now only a single stump, fenced off to the public, after it was felled one night in September 2023.

Today, 18 months on, local and visitors remain angry, upset and frustrated over the loss of one of the country’s most famous and beloved trees.

It’s why on Monday, attention in the region will be turned on Newcastle Crown Court, where two men will stand trial accused of chopping it down.

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, both from Cumbria, are charged with causing £622,000 in criminal damage to the tree, along with £1,100 in damage to Hadrian’s Wall, which was hit by the falling tree. Both have denied the offences.

Adam Carruthers is one of the two men accused of felling the Sycamore Gap tree (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

Less than 35 miles westward from the artificially lit courthouse rooms where the trial will play out, the scenery could not be more different along the idyllic section of Hadrian’s Wall, near Crag Lough, where the tree once stood.

A symbol of pride for Northumberland and the North East, the Sycamore Gap was a testament to nature’s resilience and a beloved part of many people’s lives, exemplified by countless marriage proposals and scattering of ashes.

The Sycamore Gap tree filled a natural gap in Hadrian's Wall – but now it is a stump fenced off (The Independent)

Hikers along the wall stop to view the stump, which is now showing shoots coming through (The Independent)

It earned fame after featuring in the Hollywood film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991, and visitor numbers soared in the subsequent decades. Helped further by the dawn of social media, the unmistakeable image of the tree spread across the world.

But today, its remains are a sign of mankind’s cruelty to nature.

“Why would anyone want to ruin something so beautiful,” said Michaela Prandi, a 41-year-old Italian living in Edinburgh. Last Tuesday, she was among a steady procession of hikers clambering down the steep banks to view the jagged base of the tree.

Like family paying respects to a dead relative in an open casket, many walkers bowed their heads as they forlornly inspected the crime scene.

“Such a wonderful tree loved by so many people – it just doesn’t make sense what has happened,” said John Simon, a 63-year-old retired accountant from Perth, who wanted to make the tree part of his walk along sections of Hadrian's Wall.

“We all saw it on the news. Everyone was shocked. And now you come here, you see the beauty, and it’s even harder to understand.”

John Simon is among those questioning why the tree was felled (The Independent)

The question of why seems to be on everyone’s lips.

A short walk from the stump is the Twice Brewed Inn, a country pub that leaves no doubt of its geographical link to the tree. The tree is featured on its logo while a pint of Sycamore Gap pale ale is the best-selling beer, sold at £4.40 a pint.

Like a shrine, the walls of the busy pub are covered with large prints of the tree.

“The question I get asked the most is why it happened,” said pub manager Steve Blair.

“Trees get blown in storms, come down because of disease or just fall over. The fact the tree was cut down, people are still in shock, especially as there appears to be no reason why. I think it’s search for closure; a reason to make sense of what happened so people can move on.”

Steve Blair, manager of the Twice Brewed Inn, close to the Sycamore Gap, says people need closure on the loss of the tree (The Independent)

At the nearby Herding Hill Farm, where hikers staying in five-star lodges can soothe weary legs in hot tubs, manager Sue Humphreys said visitor numbers remained stable despite the loss of the tree.

With its logo and office pictures featuring the tree, Ms Humphreys said she also gets asked why it was felled.

“We just have to say that they have got some people coming for trial, and we just don’t know why,” she said. “I think if people knew why, it wouldn’t excuse anything, but at least people would have an explanation, rather than just a random act of vandalism.”

There is hope, however, that the tree’s legacy will continue.

Herding Hill Farm manager Sue Humphreys said visitor numbers had remained stable despite the felling of the tree (The Independent)

Saplings from the tree are being grown and will be planted at sites across the UK, with the first already gifted to King Charles for planting in Windsor Great Park this winter. Shoots have also emerged from the base of the Sycamore Gap tree.

Part of the tree will also be displayed at The Sill visitor centre, located close to where the tree stood, as part of a permanent exhibition to be unveiled this year.

But for now, the focus will be on Newcastle Crown Court amid a continuing search for answers over the destruction of a regional and national treasure.