Felled Sycamore Gap tree's 'astonishing' new shoots offer hope for its recovery

The felling of the Sycamore Gap tree brought forth an outpouring of emotion last year, with local residents and tourists alike left bereft by pictures showing it on its side.

- Mark Brown

But now some "astonishing" green shoots of recovery have appeared, the National Trust has said - in a literal and metaphorical sense. Signs of regrowth have been spotted on the stump of the tree on Hadrian's Wall. The trust said eight fragile shoots measuring 2-4cm had been discovered at the base of the stump, offering hope that it would live on.

The tree in Northumberland was famous as a wonderful, highly photogenic sight, but in the north-east of England it was regarded as almost being part of the region's DNA.

It was planted as a landscape feature in a dell on Hadrian's Wall 150 years ago, becoming the site of countless marriage proposals, scatterings of ashes and birthday celebrations.

After it featured in Kevin Costner's 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves it became world famous.

The tree's felling on 28 September led to an outpouring of distress and sadness that often became blind anger at the pointlessness of its loss.

Andrew Poad, the National Trust's general manager at Hadrian's Wall, said it had always been hoped that nature would find a way to recover, but for it to happen so soon was a surprise.