One Year After England’s Famous Sycamore Gap Tree Was Illegally Felled, a New Exhibition Honors Its Legacy

On September 28, 2023, vandals illegally chopped down what is known as the Sycamore Gap tree, a centuries-old sycamore next to Hadrian’s Wall in England. Now, to mark the one-year anniversary of the incident, a new exhibition is honoring the tree’s legacy.

Titled “Sycamore Gap: One Year On,” the show opened over the weekend at the Sill Museum in Northumberland. It’s a tribute to the tree and the collective grief that followed its unexpected demise.

“I’ve been working with timber and trees for many years, and I’m normally pretty unsentimental, to be honest,” artist Charlie Whinney, who helped create the exhibition, tells the Guardian’s Mark Brown. “A tree is a tree. But this project has changed how I view things … This tree meant so much to so many people.”

The show will be divided into two phases: During the first, visitors will be able to see artworks inspired by the tree; they will also be encouraged to make pledges to preserve the natural world. These pledges will then be incorporated into new artworks during the second phase.

The exhibition is all about “processing what happened, what the tree meant to everyone,” says Whinney in a statement from the Sill. “Going forward, we hope to empower people with a sense of joy and hope for the natural world through positive actions.”

Planted in the late 1800s, the Sycamore Gap tree was one of the most photographed trees in the country. The tree grew in popularity after being featured in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), which starred Kevin Costner. Its picturesque canopy, perfectly framed between two sloping hills in Northumberland, made it a beloved natural landmark.

People from all over the world traveled to the Sycamore Gap tree to commemorate important life moments. Marriage proposals and birthday celebrations took place there. Families gathered to scatter loved ones’ ashes. When word spread that the tree was no longer standing, many were left in shock about why someone would commit such a crime.

“The last 12 months have been a real rollercoaster of emotions, from the hopelessness and grief we felt when we discovered that the tree had been illegally felled, to experiencing the stories shared with us about just what the tree meant to so many,” says Andrew Poad, general manager for the National Trust’s Hadrian’s Wall properties, in a statement.

Soon after the incident, Robin Hood director Kevin Reynolds told BBC News that the tree was “one of the most quintessentially idyllic spots in the world,” adding: “Now it’s gone, it’s murdered—and for what reason?”

After launching an investigation, officials charged two men with the crime. The tree has been valued at about £620,000 ($825,000). The men have both denied the charges and will face trial in December.

“Sycamore Gap: One Year On” will showcase the largest remaining piece of the tree’s trunk, per the Guardian. Its opening also coincides with an initiative from the National Trust—“Trees of Hope”—that aims to keep the sycamore and its legacy alive.

After the tree was felled, experts collected seeds and cuttings. Now, 49 saplings—each representing a foot of the tree’s height—will be given to groups across the United Kingdom.

“We aim to find new homes for the Sycamore Gap saplings in community settings across the U.K. so that people can engage with the Sycamore Gap tree and its story,” says the National Trust in a statement. “Our hope is that it will enable more people to feel included in the story of the tree and to become part of its legacy, helping to create a new chapter in the life of this much-loved tree.”

Anyone in the U.K. can apply to plant one of the saplings. Submissions are due on October 25, and winners will be announced on November 18.

“Sycamore Gap: One Year On” is now open at the Sill Museum in Northumberland, England.

Julia Binswanger | READ MORE

Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ, Chicago magazine, Rebellious magazine and PC magazine.