'We won't see it in our lifetime but perhaps our grandchildren will' - Sycamore Gap visitors react one year on

Sycamore Gap a year on from its deliberate felling
-Credit: (Image: Daniel Hall/Newcastle Chronicle)


"We won't see it in our lifetime, but perhaps our grandchildren will."

One year on from Sycamore Gap and its stump is still drawing visitors from not only the North East, but the rest of the UK and Europe. Ahead of the first anniversary of the tree's deliberate felling, ChronicleLive visited the dramatic dip where the tree once stood.

Families, couples, and even school trips were stopping at the fenced-off stump, where some shoots have started to regrow. Some had sought out the stump specifically, others were stopping for a moment while walking the entirety of the wall, and some were even taken by surprise that they'd stumbled across the site of one of 2023's most baffling news stories.

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Born and bred Geordie Fred Smith, 91, left his family home in Jesmond sixty years ago and now lives in Beverley, North Yorkshire. In his retirement, he has been coming back to the North East regularly with his twin children, Fiona and Stuart, both 57.

The trio had planned to visit when staying in Alnwick last year, but decided to save it for another day. Now, they will never see it as it was.

Fred described the felling of the sycamore as "absolutely gutting", while son Stuart added: "It feels sad coming here knowing you're not going to see the iconic tree.

Fiona Timbs and Stuart Smith, both 57, either side of their dad Fred Smith, 91
Fiona Timbs and Stuart Smith, both 57, either side of their dad Fred Smith, 91 -Credit:Daniel Hall/Newcastle Chronicle

Fiona added: "When you see these iconic photographs, you can't recreate that and it's so sad. It looked incredible under the dark skies and in the snow, but it's a different place now, it's heartbreaking."

However, Fred says that the new shoots offer hope. He added: "It fantastic to see it growing, even though it's never going to be the same, not in anybody's lifetime at the moment anyway."

Paul and Pauline Burgin, on a tour of LJ Ross book settings, were also saddened that they would never see the tree shown on the cover of the second book in the author's series. Pauline said: "We won't see it in our lifetime but perhaps our grandchildren will."

The couple, who are from Essex, followed the story on the news last year, but say that visiting gave them a new appreciation of how much the tree meant in the North East. Paul said: "When you're all the way down where we are, it doesn't mean quite so much.

"I was upset, just in wonderment why anyone would cut it down. It's a real shame, we wonder why anyone would want to desecrate an area that means so much to so many people."

Paul and Pauline Burgin
Paul and Pauline Burgin -Credit:Daniel Hall/Newcastle Chronicle

Karen and Wendy Madgwick, who were walking the wall in aid of the UK Thalassaemia Society, encountered the tree stump earlier than expected on the fifth day of their challenge. Wendy said: "I was really upset when I saw it last year.

"But it's good to see the new shoots. There's hope and clearly it still means a lot to lots of people."

Wendy and Karen Madgwick, who stopped at Sycamore Gap when walking the length of Hadrian's Wall for the UK Thalassaemia Society
Wendy and Karen Madgwick, who stopped at Sycamore Gap when walking the length of Hadrian's Wall for the UK Thalassaemia Society -Credit:Daniel Hall/Newcastle Chronicle

Historizon, a Dutch history group, were among some of the last people to see the Sycamore Gap tree in all its glory last September. When they were at Vindolanda, the day after, their driver told them that the tree had been felled overnight.

Guide Tom Hazenberg thought it was a joke. Almost a year to the day, he was at Sycamore Gap with another group, and said: "We were very glad that we could see the tree for the last time.

Dutch tour group Historizon, who visited Hadrian's Wall in September last year and claim to be some of the last people to see Sycamore Gap standing
Dutch tour group Historizon, who visited Hadrian's Wall in September last year and claim to be some of the last people to see Sycamore Gap standing -Credit:Daniel Hall/Newcastle Chronicle

"One of the participants of the group made a sketch, and he might have been one of the last people to sketch the tree (while it was standing. We did wonder if we should go to this place now that the tree isn't there anymore, but there's so much here and we also wanted to see the Mile Castle.

"We should also show the place where it stood."