Hundreds visit site of downed Sycamore Gap tree after man plants sapling nearby

02 October 2023 , 13:21

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More flowers have been left at the site of the felled tree (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

Hundreds of people have been turning up to the world-famous Sycamore Gap tree after it was deliberately cut down on Wednesday - as a sapling has been planted nearby.

Kieran Chapman, from Westerhope, planted the sapling tree on Friday night to "try and restore people's faith in humanity." However, he was contacted by National Trust chiefs who confirmed they would have to remove the tree due to Hadrian's Wall's status as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The 27-year-old visited the site to see it removed and said it was "devastating."

Hundreds of people have been turning up to the world-famous landmark, but now the National Trust- has asked people to refrain from going to the location while they assess the fallen tree by collecting seeds and clippings. Early pictures on social media showed some people photographing themselves touching the stump before a cordon was erected.

National Trust Rangers and other volunteers have been helping clear the site and carry away branches (PA)

Police made their second arrest over the cutting down of the 300-year-old tree on Friday. Hours after a 16-year-old was freed on bail, Northumbria Police said a man in his 60s was arrested and is being questioned in custody. "The senseless destruction of what is undoubtedly a world-renowned landmark, and a local treasure, has quite rightly resulted in an outpouring of shock, horror and anger throughout the North East and further afield", Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Fenney-Menzies said.

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The Northern Lights shine over the Sycamore Gap at Hadrian's Wall (PA Archive)

There has been widespread condemnation and upset over whoever committed this crime, with Robert Macfarlane, a renowned nature writer, saying he was "sick to the core" at the news. He told BBC Radio: "I just see this as part of a piece with a much broader hostile environment towards the living world in this country. It was a tree that ashes were scattered under, marriages were made under, and it was a shelter for tired walkers."

Woodland Heritage, a UK charity which promotes woodland management for the future of British trees, is offering to help collect and preserve the remains of the Sycamore Gap tree so that its legacy can be saved as fine furniture and objects for the nation. David Cracknell, Vice-Chairman of Woodland Heritage, said: "Preserving the fine timber for the nation in the form of beautiful furniture or objects - such as bowls, chairs, tables and benches – would not only provide a fitting legacy for the Sycamore Gap Tree, but it would also ensure that the carbon captured in it be locked up forever. If the trunk is burnt or left to rot it will release the CO2 back into the atmosphere."

Rachel Hagan