Who cut down the Sycamore Gap tree? Everything we know

Two men have been charged with cutting down the famous Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland.

Daniel Graham, 38, and Adam Carruthers, 31, will appear in court on 15 May, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. Northumbria Police said they have been charged with causing criminal damage to the tree and to Hadrian's Wall.

The police investigation has been going on for months since the tree was felled, with two men aged in their 30s arrested on 31 October last year.

Police also arrested a 16-year-old boy within hours of its felling on the morning of 28 September, 2023, then arrested a man in his 60s several days later. The teenager was later informed he would face no further action and, in December, the man in his 60s was told the same.

In December, the National Trust, which owns the land on which the tree stood, said it was hopeful the sycamore would live on after scientists found that salvaged seeds and cuttings were showing positive signs of being viable for new growth.

It is also hopeful that the trunk of the original tree will regrow, but it may be up to three years before this is known for sure.

Where was the Sycamore Gap tree?

The frequently photographed tree, made famous when it appeared in the 1991 Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, was located next to Hadrian’s Wall and close to the village of Once Brewed.

The Northumberland landmark, which inspired its own beer in the nearby Twice Brewed Inn, was described as one of the most photographed in the country and was awarded Tree of the Year in 2016.

A reward of a £1,500 bar tab has been offered by the pub for anyone with information that could help find who chopped the iconic tree down.

The 50ft tree was looked after by the Northumberland National Park Authority and the National Trust. The tree has been removed from the site and is now being kept at a storage facility by the National Trust.

Where is the Sycamore Gap tree now?

The Sycamore Gap tree is reportedly being stored in a secret location to protect it from souvenir hunters. According to the Sunday Times, police caught several members of the public trying to take pieces of the tree from the site where it was felled.

Lady Jane Gibson, chairwoman of the Hadrian’s Wall Partnership, told the Sunday Times: “The wood from the tree has been taken away and stored for safekeeping at a secure location.

“There were concerns people were taking pieces of it for mementoes, like what happened with the Berlin Wall, when people would take a piece as a keepsake. It is now being safely stored as we work on potential future uses for the timber.”

The National Trust has asked the public for suggestions on what to do with the leftover wood from the felled tree, with options including turning it into a bench where the tree once stood, or even making it into pencils.

In March, Northumberland National Park said the largest section of the tree will be exhibited at the Sill, a tourist attraction in Hexham, not far from where it once stood.

How old was the Sycamore Gap tree?

The tree was estimated to have been at least 300 years old and while experts have said new shoots are expected to grow from it, the tree will never be the same again.

National Trust general manager Andrew Poad said the stump was “healthy” and staff might be able to coppice the tree – a technique allowing new shoots to grow from the base of a trunk. Rob Ternent, head gardener at The Alnwick Garden in Northumberland, said the tree will start growing again but “won’t ever be the same shape or as good of a tree as it was”.

He said: “It’s worth a try but I think livestock and wildlife will potentially damage it as well. It’ll be very difficult to get it back to the original tree.

“The growing season’s coming to an end now but by spring next year it will have some life in it. It’ll probably be about eight foot tall, but it’ll be lots of singular branches, more bushy. It was about 300 years old so it’ll take a long time to get back to that size. It’s a massive shame.”