Tears and anger at loss of beloved icon

FOR more than 100 years the tree at Sycamore Gap stood in a pleasing dip in the landscape next to Hadrian's Wall, inspiring countless photographs and works of art.

- By Tom Wilkinson, Katie Dickinson and Emily Beament

That was until the night of September 27, 2023 when the sycamore, believed to have been planted by John Clayton in the 1800s, was felled. It took just two minutes and 39 seconds for the chainsaw to bring it down.

The mindless vandalism caused global outrage as word spread about what had happened to the tree, which featured in the Kevin Costner movie Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.