The iconic lone tree that has stood at Hadrian's Wall's Sycamore Gap for hundreds of years has been chainsawed to the ground in the middle of the night.
The tree stood adjacent to Roman Wall Milecastle 39, around 3 miles north east of the Northumberland market town of Haltwhistle. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage site and sits inside the Northumberland National Park.
I have been to that tree. As a young child my family had a day out at the nearby Housesteads Roman Fort, which culminated in a walk along the remains of Hadrian's Wall to Sycamore Gap. My brother and I played in the shadow of that tree; tripped over the roots of that tree; grazed our knees on the ground beside that tree.
You visit local shops and you see post cards of that tree. Flick the pages of calendars and you see months featuring that tree. Thousands of photographers have marvelled at the setting and natural beauty of that tree. Millions of walkers, over hundreds of years, have rested and eaten picnics beneath that tree. It is not just a tree. It is an irreplaceable piece of north east cultural heritage. And some selfish person, who had less right to be there than the tree itself, has destroyed all that.
Locals awoke this morning to find the remains of the tree crumpled on the ground. Its stump was neatly chainsawed, with the remnants of white paint marking the intended direction of cut. Someone has been up there at the dead of night - miles away from habitation, on one of the wettest and windiest nights of the year - to purposefully destroy the tree. There is no doubt it was a pre-planned, deliberate and unlawful act.
Northumbria Police are investigating the circumstances and I hope they are able to quickly identify and apprehend whoever is responsible.
Update (28/9/23): Northumbria Police has arrested a 16-year-old male in connection with this incident.
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