September 27, 2024 • 26 mins
On September 27th 2023, the famous Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland was felled overnight in an act of vandalism, triggering a far-reaching wave of shock and sorrow.
Join Heather Birkett as she goes behind the scenes to explore the enduring impact of this beloved landmark, the aftermath of its loss, and the community’s efforts to preserve its memory.
A video version of this podcast is available on YouTube and Spotify. To watch it on YouTube please click here.
Production
Host: Heather Birkett
Producers: Nikki Ruck, Katy Kelly, Pippa Tilbury-Harris
Sound Design: Nikki Ruck
Contributors
Luke Straszewski: NT Ranger
Andrew Poad: NT General Manager Northumberland Coast & Hadrian's Wall
Judith Ward: Twice Brewed Inn
Mark Robinson: NT Experiences and Partnership Manager
Chris Trimmer. NT Plant Conservation Centre Manager
Louise Teasdale
Charlotte Crowe
Tony Gates: CEO Northumberland National Parks Authority
Charlie Whinney
Nick Greenall
Discover more
Find out what’s on in Northumberland Park and The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre.
https://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/whats-on/
Keep updated with all the latest Sycamore Gap news including details of The Trees of Hope campaign, Heartwood and activities at the stump.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sycamore-gap
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
HEATHER BIRKETT (00:07):
Hello, and welcome to the National Trust
Podcast. I'm Heather Burkett,Garden and Outdoor Manager for
the National Trust.
Today, we journey into a storythat begins with a tree. No
ordinary tree, but one thatstood majestically in a gap
between the hills. A tree soiconic, it became a symbol of
the landscape itself.
(00:30):
On the 28th of September 2023,the world reacted with shock and
sorrow to the news that theSycamore Gap tree had been
felled overnight.
Over the past year, we've hadbehind-the-scenes access to the
people closest to this story touncover how this crisis
unfolded, what happened next,and why it's meant so much to so
(00:54):
many.
As I sit with a cuppa, I can'thelp but reflect on the
headlines that echoed around theglobe. This one says, Sycamore
Gap, iconic tree seen lying nextto Hadrian's Wall after being
felled.
Another declares, famousSycamore Gap tree found cut down
(01:18):
overnight. And one particularlypoignant headline, the last time
I visited Sycamore Gap, I neverimagined I would never see it
again.
I start my journey in December2023, just over two months after
the felling, to try andunderstand the impact of this
loss firsthand.
(01:43):
We've come to Northumberland.We're surrounded by green
rolling hills, which rise gentlyup and then drop away sharply,
giving the whole landscape asense that it's been tilted on
its side.
It feels remote, other than afew cottages and the occasional
sound of a tractor or a car, andthis fantastic stone wall. It's
(02:06):
been here for 1900 years,Hadrian's Wall is a real feature
of the landscape.
So we've reached a gap betweentwo hills. At the bottom of the
gap, there's this fenced-offenclosure which surrounds the
stump that used to be theSycamore Gap tree. And I'm
hoping to meet... Andrew andLuke here today who are going to
tell me a bit more about whathappened.
LUKE STRASZEWSKI (02:28):
Hi, I'm Luke. I'm one of the ranger team up
here on the Hadrian's Wallestate.
HEATHER BIRKETT (02:32):
Hi, nice to meet you.
ANDREW POAD (02:33):
My name's Andrew Poad. I'm general manager for
Northumberland Coast andHadrian's Wall country. And as
you can hear in the background,I've got my dogs with me today.
So I've got Goose who's whining.
HEATHER BIRKETT (02:43):
Hello Goose.
ANDREW POAD (02:43):
He's only eight months old and Archie who's much
older and just sat quietly inthe background.
HEATHER BIRKETT (02:48):
So why do you think the tree was so iconic?
ANDREW POAD (02:51):
It was a recognised landmark prior to its appearance
in Prince of Thieves back in1991, that was the launch of its
career. It was referred tolocally as the Kevin Costner
tree because of the film. Andthen my belief is with the
advent of social media, itbecame that symbol that
everybody wanted to capture fortheir Instagram moment. And in
so doing, became emblematic ofthis part of the world.
HEATHER BIRKETT (03:15):
As well as finding fame in the Hollywood
blockbuster Robin Hood, Princeof Thieves, the tree was also
awarded the title. English Treeof the Year, in 2016 by the
Woodland Trust, a furthertestament to its popularity.
We have a fenced off area here.It's about three metres square.
And in the centre, there is whatI can only describe as a
(03:38):
significantly large tree stump.Luke, tell me what's happened
here.
LUKE STRASZEWSKI (03:43):
The tree was a pretty striking part of the
landscape. It was around 15metres tall, but it had a good
canopy. It was in good health.This sadly was felled overnight
in an act of vandalism and thefence is up now round to protect
the stump in the hopes thatwe'll get some regeneration.
HEATHER BIRKETT (04:02):
Andrew were you the first to get the call when
this happened?
ANDREW POAD (04:05):
Yeah the National Park are based at the Sill which
is just within sight of where weare now. Their staff spotted
there was something missing ontheir way into work so I got a
call from them. Initial reactionwas it was a hoax because we've
had hoaxes in the past. And thenwe had had Storm Agnes the night
before.
The initial thought was thatit's somehow blown down, but
(04:26):
then very quickly they managedto get the National Trail Ranger
on site who was able to clarifythat it had actually been cut
down. So that shifted thingsconsiderably from a natural
accident to a deliberate act.
HEATHER BIRKETT (04:36):
And it didn't take long for the news to
spread.
ANDREW POAD (04:39):
Within the hour, the whole world knew because it
hit social media, my workchannels, my personal channels,
everything started lighting upin front of me.
HEATHER BIRKETT (04:48):
Luke, you came down here? And found a felled
tree. What happened next?
LUKE STRASZEWSKI (04:54):
Our first priority was to make sure that
the site was safe because thetree had fallen onto the north
side and it was hanging up inthe air. So the first thing we
needed to do was make sure thatit wasn't shifting, that it
wasn't a risk to the public. Sowe cordoned off the area just to
make sure no one could get tooclose to it.
(05:14):
And at that point, obviously,our thought turned to what can
we do to preserve the tree? Overthe next couple of days we
collected cuttings, we collectedseed with the hope that we can
get some regeneration and sothat we can hopefully get a new
Sycamore Gap tree.
HEATHER BIRKETT (05:31):
The seeds and cuttings were immediately sent
on to the National Trust PlantConservation Centre, a
specialist plant nursery. Butthere was still the pressing
matter of what to do with thetree.
ANDREW POAD (05:42):
It was apparent to us, to everybody really, that we
needed to come up with a plan toremove the tree effectively.
HEATHER BIRKETT (05:50):
The team then began preparing the site for the
tree's removal. But as Lukeexplains, there were a few
challenges to overcome.
LUKE STRASZEWSKI (05:59):
So the first issue we had with it is the tree
had fallen onto Hadrian's Wallitself, and so we needed to do
what we could to preserve theUNESCO World Heritage Site. That
meant we were quite limited inour options. That meant we
needed to lift it off the Wall.So that meant we were going to
have to get a crane in.
HEATHER BIRKETT (06:17):
Bringing a piece of machinery that size
into the gap was a first.
LUKE STRASZEWSKI (06:21):
We are quite fortunate in that the tree was
used as a filming location forRobin Hood and a road was put in
that meant that we could get itquite close. But it was very
tricky. Sections of the tree hadto be removed bit by bit and
they had to be held back as wellto make sure that they didn't
roll or fall in any way.
(06:41):
We used the crane to lift it outand then we moved all of that
wood onto a trailer and that wastaken away to another location.
It was quite a challenge. We hadthe world's media sat on the
little hill to the south of us.So not only were we doing
something totally unprecedented,we'd never done before, but we
had all the cameras pointing atus while we were doing it. So
(07:03):
that was a bit of a tense fewhours.
HEATHER BIRKETT (07:07):
On Friday the 13th of October, the tree was
carefully lifted off Hadrian'sWall and covertly transported to
a top secret location within theNational Trust. But as a
sycamore is part of the Acerfamily, the team needed to act
quickly.
The clock was ticking the momentit was felled, as the sugars
within the wood could quicklylead to fungi and decay. To
(07:31):
preserve it as best as possible,the tree was put under the care
of a specialist team until adecision could be made on its
future.
I can see some items left at thebase of the tree. Some flowers.
Homemade cross?
LUKE STRASZEWSKI (07:50):
A lot of people have got a real
connection with Sycamore Gap.It's been a part of the local
community. People had proposalshere. Everyone comes out here
for a picnic. People have leftmemorials and mementos to loved
ones who've passed away here AndSycamore Gap is just a part of
their lives..
ANDREW POAD (08:08):
Having worked with it over these last 30 years, I
definitely saw how important itwas to people, but I think I
hadn't appreciated the reach ofthat.
JUDITH WARD (08:19):
It's been there all my life. You look in the gap. Oh
there's a tree. Look at all thempeople standing around the tree.
Look at them all come to see it,take the pictures, get their
selfies.
My name is Judith Ward and I amone of the workers and front of
house supervisor at the TwiceBrewed Inn. The pub itself is
situated right on the Roman Wallalongside one of the largest
(08:40):
tourist destinations in England.
And then that morning my husbandrang me and said the tree's down
and I went what do you mean? Hesays, the tree's down.
I went, no. So I jumped back inmy car and I could see the cut
end of the tree and I stoppedthe car and I took a picture and
(09:02):
I put it in our group chat andthen the picture started coming
in online and it's justsenseless. It stood there
through the test of time.
It stood through many a storm,the harshest of weather
conditions and... My brotherproposed there and it just seems
(09:22):
unfathomable. It's just alteredthe landscape forever.
HEATHER BIRKETT (09:29):
The global response to the felling of the
tree has been heartfelt andtouching. And in the days
following its fall, the tributesand messages came flooding in.
MARK ROBINSON (09:41):
The sycamore of Sycamore Gap, more than just a
tree. It's a part of ouridentity, a symbol of pride and
belonging for the North East.From badges on school uniforms
to the backs of joiner's vans,it's a part of our everyday
life, whether we visit it ornot.
A place of deep personalconnection, of landmarks in our
(10:01):
lives, of romantic proposals andpoignant farewells, of memories
and sandwiches shared with thosewe love, or of solitude and
reflection, of peace, recoveryand hope. For some, its loss
lays bare the vulnerability ofnature itself. My name is Mark
Robinson.
And I am an Experiences andPartnerships Curator for the
(10:23):
National Trust based up in theNorth East. I was asked to
review and collate the responsesthat were coming in from the
public, people's responses onsocial media, but in particular
the responses that people hadshared in the memory room in the
exhibition at The Sill.
(10:43):
The memory room was a kind of apop-up, impromptu place for
people. To share their memoriesof the tree, it felt important
to find a way to somehow capturethat. Some people wrote long
stories, some people wrotepoems, some people drew
pictures.
I think the thing that struck methe most was, particularly from
(11:05):
school children, that there wasa huge amount of hope. There was
a lot of references to this treewill come again or we will not
forget you. It was a reallyhumbling experience really to
spend the day reading all of theresponses but also to kind of
remind yourself of just howimportant places can be.
HEATHER BIRKETT (11:27):
And while Mark and his team were sifting
through the responses from thepublic, the staff at the
National Trust PlantConservation Centre were working
against the clock.
CHRIS TRIMMER (11:37):
Once material has been cut off the tree, it is
dying. So we need to get inthere as soon as possible to do
our work.
I'm Chris Trimmer, I'm the PlantConservation Centre Manager and
I look after all the rare andunusual plants in the National
Trust. I actually found out thatthe tree had been cut down from
our national press team. I had aphone call and essentially we
(12:01):
just started all the prep workbehind the scenes.
To move plant material we had toissue what's called a plant
passport, did that straightaway. One of our gardens
consultants were actually onsite within sort of day, day and
a half afterwards. And they sentmaterial down to us through the
post they sent first class andit arrived here nine o'clock on
(12:25):
Saturday morning.
We asked for seed which is oneof the easiest methods of
propagation but also cuttingsdoing grafting budding from the
same sort of material. So bySaturday five o'clock everything
was propagated and it's all gonequite well so far.
We've got 21 cuttings, we've gotfive budded trees, we've got 15
(12:47):
grafted trees. And we've sownfour seed trays so far of seeds.
But we don't know what's goingto happen. But the stump that's
been left behind will probablygrow as a multi stem tree. But
it'll never look the same as itdid. And it'll be another two,
three hundred years before itlooks good.
HEATHER BIRKETT (13:07):
And then all their efforts paid off. They
successfully propagated cuttingsand cultivated seeds, creating a
whole new generation of SycamoreGap trees. The first of these
made a special journey to Londonin May, where it was put on
display for all to see in theNational Trust Garden at the
Chelsea Flower Show.
(13:28):
The young seedling was placedinto the Garden by
seven-year-old Charlotte andDame Judi Dench, who
affectionately named itAntoninus, after Emperor
Hadrian's adopted son, inspiredby the location of the Sycamore
Gap tree.
Charlotte and her parents, Andyand Louise, travelled down from
their home in Northumberland.
LOUISE (13:51):
Well, I grew up in Hayden Bridge. Which is, what,
maybe five miles from the gap.When we found out the day it
happened, we were both at workand Charlotte was at school, and
that night went for a drivealong just to see if it was
true.
And it was just so strange notseeing that tree there. It was
quite emotional. Wasn't it, whenyou find out and you think,
that's just a tree. Why am Igetting upset over a tree? But
(14:14):
it's strange how a tree up inNorthumberland is all over the
world. It's made such an impacton everyone.
I just remember Charlotte wassaying to me one day, oh, I've
got to do this with the school,write a poem about Sycamore Gap.
HEATHER BIRKETT (14:27):
A competition was set up, inviting pupils from
Henshaw Primary School, theclosest school to Sycamore Gap,
in which pupils were invited todraw a picture of the tree and
write a short... Poem about whatit meant to them and it was
Charlotte's poem which won.
CHARLOTTE (14:42):
I went to see Hadrian's Wall and I saw a tree.
It was a mindful tree. It was amindful famous tree. It was a
mindful famous historical tree.It was a mindful famous
historical magnificent tree. Itwas a mindful, famous,
historical, magnificent,welcoming tree. I really hope
Sycamore Gap goes back. When Igo and see the tree, it brings
(15:07):
back lots of memories.
HEATHER BIRKETT (15:09):
After the show, the seedling was returned to the
Plant Conservation Centre, whereit continues to grow alongside
its siblings until they areready for planting. The first
successful sapling has beengifted to His Royal Highness The
King. In honour of CelebrationDay, a day dedicated to
remembering those no longer withus. This special tree will be
(15:31):
planted in Windsor Great Parkfor all visitors to enjoy.
It's now the beginning of July,ten months after the felling,
and hopes of any regrowth at thestump are starting to fade.
But at various sites inNorthumberland, the first
(15:52):
artworks, are about to go ondisplay. These are five prints
by Shona Branigan, who is knownfor her evocative tree prints.
The prints have beencommissioned by the National
Trust as a creative response tothe public's suggestions. This
collection, lovingly titledHeartwood, is designed to
reflect the intricate shape andessence of the tree trunk.
(16:16):
The five prints will beshowcased together at the
Queen's Hall Hexham and then atthe The Baltic Art Gallery in
Newcastle.
Then, at the end of July, I geta call from Andrew Poad, General
Manager at Hadrian's Wall, withthe news that we have all been
hoping for.
ANDREW POAD (16:37):
We've just heard from our colleagues at the
National Park that the stumpsactually started regrowing,
which is brilliant news.
HEATHER BIRKETT (16:44):
Oh, that's fantastic news, Andrew.
ANDREW POAD (16:46):
Yeah, it was a real pleasant surprise to get the
call. The really nice story isthe chap who found it is the
first person that was on sitethat confirmed that the tree had
actually been felled. He's theNational Trail Ranger for
Hadrian's Wall. So it's reallynice that it's him that's the
one that's spotted the regrowthfirst. A little bit of
serendipity there.
(17:07):
So the last time I was there, wegot up to 12 new shoots. They're
only a few centimetres tall anda few centimetres across with
two or three leaves on eachshoot. And they're a lovely
rusty red colour at the moment.And that's great. I mean, this
is nature bouncing back. This ishow it responds. And whether all
the shoots survive or notremains to be seen.
(17:30):
I'm delighted the tree'sregrowing, although it'll never
look the same as the originaltree. It's the best possible
outcome we could get. So it'sreally nice to share, when I was
on site, sharing that with otherpeople. What we were saying to a
lot of them who had childrenwith them is that they're going
to need to come back in... 10,20 years time and see the
(17:50):
results of what they've justwitnessed.
HEATHER BIRKETT (17:54):
As encouraging signs of regrowth emerge at the
stump, plans are also underwayfor the stored wood. After a
year of careful seasoning, thelargest section has been gifted
to the Northumberland NationalPark Authority. CEO Tony Gates
tells us more.
TONY GATES (18:13):
The National Park Authority, we own and run the...
Sill National LandscapeDiscovery Centre on Hadrian's
Wall.
It's the closest visitor centreto the site of Sycamore Gap. We
get about 125,000 visitors ayear through the centre and it
would have been one of the mostpopular starting points for
people who wanted to walk to seethe Sycamore Gap tree.
(18:35):
We gathered all the feedbackthat people sent to us following
the felling of the tree and oneof the things that came through
is that people wanted to seesome type of long-term legacy
for the tree in the Sill, In thevisitor centre and so we've
negotiated with the NationalTrust and they've kindly agreed
to gift us the largest remainingintact section of the Sycamore
(18:55):
Gap tree and the idea is that weuse that to create a lasting
legacy for Sycamore Gap thatpeople can visit in the Sill
National Landscape Centre and itmeans that people who maybe
physically can't get as far outas the site itself can still
have some contact with the tree.
HEATHER BIRKETT (19:14):
Earlier in the year a call went out for artists
to design an exhibition thatwould incorporate the gifted
tree section. This exhibition isset to open at the Sill in the
Northumberland National ParkDiscovery Centre one year after
the felling. The commissionedartists are Charlie Winnie, Nick
Greenall and Matt Sowerby.
(19:39):
It's a beautiful sunny day inAugust and I've come to a Barn
in rural Cumbria. Nestledbetween the majestic fells of
the Lake District and the openwaters of Morecambe Bay, it's a
really special corner of Cumbriathat feels incredibly tucked
away.
The Barn is home to an artist'sstudio where the artists
specialise in art made fromwood.
(20:04):
We're inside the studio now andyou might be able to hear a
little bit of action in thebackground, some sawing and
drilling, but I'm sat here withtwo of the artists involved.
NICK GREENALL (20:14):
Good afternoon, my name's Nick Greenall and this
is Charlie Winnie and jointlywe're both directors of a
community interest companycalled Creative Communities and
we do kind of out there artprojects with members of the
community who might not normallyget the opportunity to do that
kind of thing.
On this particular project, theSycamore Gap project, we're
(20:34):
working with a poet called MattSowerby. So we've got poetry,
we've got Charlie Winnie who'san amazing steam woodbender.
HEATHER BIRKETT (20:43):
We come to you Charlie, I wondered if you could
tell us a bit about your work.
CHARLIE WHINNEY (20:46):
The reason you can see all these strange,
twizzly, curly shapes around youis because my sketchbook is full
of these shapes and part of theinterest and the challenge for
me is to take normal wood from atree outside and use as little
energy as possible and stillachieve beautiful results.
HEATHER BIRKETT (21:07):
So can I ask, have you seen the tree?
NICK GREENALL (21:10):
We have. Charlie was keen to study the material
that he'd be working with, andthere was a bit of mystery about
where the tree actually mightbe. It may be in Devon, it may
be in Berwick-upon-Tweed. Andthen they took us, and then the
tree out of the darkness wasrevealed.
CHARLIE WHINNEY (21:27):
When I saw it, I'd already met, I don't know,
like 100 people who had tearswhen it came down. And I think
looking at the bark of the treeand all the interesting swirls
and patterns... Having alreadystudied loads of photographs of
the living tree, and it waslike, oh my God, it's you. It's
the same one. It was a strangefeeling.
NICK GREENALL (21:47):
Because I'd seen the tree in life in this dip on
Hadrian's Wall. It was just veryaesthetic. It was the right tree
in the right place. And thenseeing it cut up as a log, there
was definitely a disconnectbetween seeing a log of wood and
this formerly beautiful tree inlife.
HEATHER BIRKETT (22:02):
So Charlie, what happens next?
CHARLIE WHINNEY (22:04):
There were two stages to this project. You've
come to us now about five weeksbefore the first stage is going
to be complete. It's going to bethe one year on exhibition at
the Sill. And I'm making fivegiant canvases that are going to
go on the Wall. They're going todepict the tree wrapping around
the gallery, kind of life size.
(22:25):
And in the middle of the gallerywill be our log, which the
National Trust have currentlygiven us.
NICK GREENALL (22:30):
So there'll be an opportunity for people to make
pledges. And they may be pledgesof what they're going to do for
nature. And it's these pledgesthat will be gathered and they
will form part of the finalpiece that Charlie is going to
make.
HEATHER BIRKETT (22:43):
So as a phase one that's an amazing way to
capture people's feelings andconnection with the tree. What
happens to all those pledgesafterwards?
CHARLIE WHINNEY (22:51):
I'll show you so in my hands here I've got one
of our samples from the finalsculpture so these are just
ideas.
HEATHER BIRKETT (22:58):
I can see some twisted wood almost in a spiral
with a lovely grain on it andthen engraved onto the flat side
of the twist some words. I willget chickens who will eat our
scraps.
At the exhibition at the Sill,visitors will see a section of
the felled Sycamore Gap tree,along with all the artwork
(23:18):
surrounding it. Charlie's alsodesigned seating for the show,
so visitors can sit, reflect andimmerse in the exhibition.
NICK GREENALL (23:27):
So we're going to go next door now, and we've been
steaming some wood, so theprocess of steam woodbending is
we heat the wood in a steamchamber and all the lignin and
cellulose in the wood becomesmalleable and then you're able
to bend it. It's quite amarvellous thing to see so let's
go and have a look.
HEATHER BIRKETT (23:44):
Sounds like magic.
CHARLIE WHINNEY (23:46):
So this metal thing here is a compression
strap that I'm going to put onthe outside of the wood. It's
got a compression strap so it'sgoing to literally squash all
the fibres as we bend around.The wood needs to be about 100
degrees. If it isn't then it'llbreak.
So this is a piece of ash thatI'm putting in here. So I'm
(24:06):
going to put it into thecompression strap, and I'm going
to see how many times I can bendthis piece of ash around here.
I'm going to go for number four.There we go, there's our thing.
HEATHER BIRKETT (24:22):
And then it was my turn to have a go.
CHARLIE WHINNEY (24:25):
Do you see all the sculptures over there? Yes.
You're making one of them. Okay.Can you say they all look
completely different? Yes. Sothere's no rules? Okay. You can
do what you want.
HEATHER BIRKETT (24:34):
Charlie has handed me five strands of wood
that we're going to wrap aroundhere.
CHARLIE WHINNEY (24:41):
Yeah.
HEATHER BIRKETT (24:42):
Oh, it's not easy.
CHARLIE WHINNEY (24:44):
That's perfect. There you go.
HEATHER BIRKETT (24:45):
Like a granny knot in wood.
Thank you so much for showing meyour workshop, Charlie, and to
show us how this wood is bent.And it really gives us an
insight into the kind of methodsand skills involved in the work
that you're going to be doingfor the Sycamore Gap project.
(25:06):
Stage one of the exhibition isset to run at the Sill until the
end of October, ahead of thepermanent exhibition in spring
2025. Meanwhile, the saplings,which are around five feet tall,
are thriving under the expertcare of the Plant Conservation
Centre.
To Mark the one-year-onanniversary, 49 of the new
(25:28):
Sycamore Gap trees will beavailable for the public to
request through the Trees ofHope campaign, while a handful
of the others have or are in theprocess of being allocated to
amazing projects around thecountry. Please head to our
episode show notes for moredetails.
The Sycamore Gap tree may begone, but its legacy lives on in
(25:50):
a story that is far from over.
Thank you for listening to theNational Trust Podcast. If
you've liked what you've heard,please make sure to subscribe on
(26:12):
your favourite podcast app orvisit us at
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts. Until next time, from
me, Heather Burkett, goodbye.
Hello, and welcome to the National Trust
Podcast. I'm Heather Burkett,Garden and Outdoor Manager for
the National Trust.
Today, we journey into a storythat begins with a tree. No
ordinary tree, but one thatstood majestically in a gap
between the hills. A tree soiconic, it became a symbol of
the landscape itself.
(00:30):
On the 28th of September 2023,the world reacted with shock and
sorrow to the news that theSycamore Gap tree had been
felled overnight.
Over the past year, we've hadbehind-the-scenes access to the
people closest to this story touncover how this crisis
unfolded, what happened next,and why it's meant so much to so
(00:54):
many.
As I sit with a cuppa, I can'thelp but reflect on the
headlines that echoed around theglobe. This one says, Sycamore
Gap, iconic tree seen lying nextto Hadrian's Wall after being
felled.
Another declares, famousSycamore Gap tree found cut down
(01:18):
overnight. And one particularlypoignant headline, the last time
I visited Sycamore Gap, I neverimagined I would never see it
again.
I start my journey in December2023, just over two months after
the felling, to try andunderstand the impact of this
loss firsthand.
(01:43):
We've come to Northumberland.We're surrounded by green
rolling hills, which rise gentlyup and then drop away sharply,
giving the whole landscape asense that it's been tilted on
its side.
It feels remote, other than afew cottages and the occasional
sound of a tractor or a car, andthis fantastic stone wall. It's
(02:06):
been here for 1900 years,Hadrian's Wall is a real feature
of the landscape.
So we've reached a gap betweentwo hills. At the bottom of the
gap, there's this fenced-offenclosure which surrounds the
stump that used to be theSycamore Gap tree. And I'm
hoping to meet... Andrew andLuke here today who are going to
tell me a bit more about whathappened.
LUKE STRASZEWSKI (02:28):
Hi, I'm Luke. I'm one of the ranger team up
here on the Hadrian's Wallestate.
HEATHER BIRKETT (02:32):
Hi, nice to meet you.
ANDREW POAD (02:33):
My name's Andrew Poad. I'm general manager for
Northumberland Coast andHadrian's Wall country. And as
you can hear in the background,I've got my dogs with me today.
So I've got Goose who's whining.
HEATHER BIRKETT (02:43):
Hello Goose.
ANDREW POAD (02:43):
He's only eight months old and Archie who's much
older and just sat quietly inthe background.
HEATHER BIRKETT (02:48):
So why do you think the tree was so iconic?
ANDREW POAD (02:51):
It was a recognised landmark prior to its appearance
in Prince of Thieves back in1991, that was the launch of its
career. It was referred tolocally as the Kevin Costner
tree because of the film. Andthen my belief is with the
advent of social media, itbecame that symbol that
everybody wanted to capture fortheir Instagram moment. And in
so doing, became emblematic ofthis part of the world.
HEATHER BIRKETT (03:15):
As well as finding fame in the Hollywood
blockbuster Robin Hood, Princeof Thieves, the tree was also
awarded the title. English Treeof the Year, in 2016 by the
Woodland Trust, a furthertestament to its popularity.
We have a fenced off area here.It's about three metres square.
And in the centre, there is whatI can only describe as a
(03:38):
significantly large tree stump.Luke, tell me what's happened
here.
LUKE STRASZEWSKI (03:43):
The tree was a pretty striking part of the
landscape. It was around 15metres tall, but it had a good
canopy. It was in good health.This sadly was felled overnight
in an act of vandalism and thefence is up now round to protect
the stump in the hopes thatwe'll get some regeneration.
HEATHER BIRKETT (04:02):
Andrew were you the first to get the call when
this happened?
ANDREW POAD (04:05):
Yeah the National Park are based at the Sill which
is just within sight of where weare now. Their staff spotted
there was something missing ontheir way into work so I got a
call from them. Initial reactionwas it was a hoax because we've
had hoaxes in the past. And thenwe had had Storm Agnes the night
before.
The initial thought was thatit's somehow blown down, but
(04:26):
then very quickly they managedto get the National Trail Ranger
on site who was able to clarifythat it had actually been cut
down. So that shifted thingsconsiderably from a natural
accident to a deliberate act.
HEATHER BIRKETT (04:36):
And it didn't take long for the news to
spread.
ANDREW POAD (04:39):
Within the hour, the whole world knew because it
hit social media, my workchannels, my personal channels,
everything started lighting upin front of me.
HEATHER BIRKETT (04:48):
Luke, you came down here? And found a felled
tree. What happened next?
LUKE STRASZEWSKI (04:54):
Our first priority was to make sure that
the site was safe because thetree had fallen onto the north
side and it was hanging up inthe air. So the first thing we
needed to do was make sure thatit wasn't shifting, that it
wasn't a risk to the public. Sowe cordoned off the area just to
make sure no one could get tooclose to it.
(05:14):
And at that point, obviously,our thought turned to what can
we do to preserve the tree? Overthe next couple of days we
collected cuttings, we collectedseed with the hope that we can
get some regeneration and sothat we can hopefully get a new
Sycamore Gap tree.
HEATHER BIRKETT (05:31):
The seeds and cuttings were immediately sent
on to the National Trust PlantConservation Centre, a
specialist plant nursery. Butthere was still the pressing
matter of what to do with thetree.
ANDREW POAD (05:42):
It was apparent to us, to everybody really, that we
needed to come up with a plan toremove the tree effectively.
HEATHER BIRKETT (05:50):
The team then began preparing the site for the
tree's removal. But as Lukeexplains, there were a few
challenges to overcome.
LUKE STRASZEWSKI (05:59):
So the first issue we had with it is the tree
had fallen onto Hadrian's Wallitself, and so we needed to do
what we could to preserve theUNESCO World Heritage Site. That
meant we were quite limited inour options. That meant we
needed to lift it off the Wall.So that meant we were going to
have to get a crane in.
HEATHER BIRKETT (06:17):
Bringing a piece of machinery that size
into the gap was a first.
LUKE STRASZEWSKI (06:21):
We are quite fortunate in that the tree was
used as a filming location forRobin Hood and a road was put in
that meant that we could get itquite close. But it was very
tricky. Sections of the tree hadto be removed bit by bit and
they had to be held back as wellto make sure that they didn't
roll or fall in any way.
(06:41):
We used the crane to lift it outand then we moved all of that
wood onto a trailer and that wastaken away to another location.
It was quite a challenge. We hadthe world's media sat on the
little hill to the south of us.So not only were we doing
something totally unprecedented,we'd never done before, but we
had all the cameras pointing atus while we were doing it. So
(07:03):
that was a bit of a tense fewhours.
HEATHER BIRKETT (07:07):
On Friday the 13th of October, the tree was
carefully lifted off Hadrian'sWall and covertly transported to
a top secret location within theNational Trust. But as a
sycamore is part of the Acerfamily, the team needed to act
quickly.
The clock was ticking the momentit was felled, as the sugars
within the wood could quicklylead to fungi and decay. To
(07:31):
preserve it as best as possible,the tree was put under the care
of a specialist team until adecision could be made on its
future.
I can see some items left at thebase of the tree. Some flowers.
Homemade cross?
LUKE STRASZEWSKI (07:50):
A lot of people have got a real
connection with Sycamore Gap.It's been a part of the local
community. People had proposalshere. Everyone comes out here
for a picnic. People have leftmemorials and mementos to loved
ones who've passed away here AndSycamore Gap is just a part of
their lives..
ANDREW POAD (08:08):
Having worked with it over these last 30 years, I
definitely saw how important itwas to people, but I think I
hadn't appreciated the reach ofthat.
JUDITH WARD (08:19):
It's been there all my life. You look in the gap. Oh
there's a tree. Look at all thempeople standing around the tree.
Look at them all come to see it,take the pictures, get their
selfies.
My name is Judith Ward and I amone of the workers and front of
house supervisor at the TwiceBrewed Inn. The pub itself is
situated right on the Roman Wallalongside one of the largest
(08:40):
tourist destinations in England.
And then that morning my husbandrang me and said the tree's down
and I went what do you mean? Hesays, the tree's down.
I went, no. So I jumped back inmy car and I could see the cut
end of the tree and I stoppedthe car and I took a picture and
(09:02):
I put it in our group chat andthen the picture started coming
in online and it's justsenseless. It stood there
through the test of time.
It stood through many a storm,the harshest of weather
conditions and... My brotherproposed there and it just seems
(09:22):
unfathomable. It's just alteredthe landscape forever.
HEATHER BIRKETT (09:29):
The global response to the felling of the
tree has been heartfelt andtouching. And in the days
following its fall, the tributesand messages came flooding in.
MARK ROBINSON (09:41):
The sycamore of Sycamore Gap, more than just a
tree. It's a part of ouridentity, a symbol of pride and
belonging for the North East.From badges on school uniforms
to the backs of joiner's vans,it's a part of our everyday
life, whether we visit it ornot.
A place of deep personalconnection, of landmarks in our
(10:01):
lives, of romantic proposals andpoignant farewells, of memories
and sandwiches shared with thosewe love, or of solitude and
reflection, of peace, recoveryand hope. For some, its loss
lays bare the vulnerability ofnature itself. My name is Mark
Robinson.
And I am an Experiences andPartnerships Curator for the
(10:23):
National Trust based up in theNorth East. I was asked to
review and collate the responsesthat were coming in from the
public, people's responses onsocial media, but in particular
the responses that people hadshared in the memory room in the
exhibition at The Sill.
(10:43):
The memory room was a kind of apop-up, impromptu place for
people. To share their memoriesof the tree, it felt important
to find a way to somehow capturethat. Some people wrote long
stories, some people wrotepoems, some people drew
pictures.
I think the thing that struck methe most was, particularly from
(11:05):
school children, that there wasa huge amount of hope. There was
a lot of references to this treewill come again or we will not
forget you. It was a reallyhumbling experience really to
spend the day reading all of theresponses but also to kind of
remind yourself of just howimportant places can be.
HEATHER BIRKETT (11:27):
And while Mark and his team were sifting
through the responses from thepublic, the staff at the
National Trust PlantConservation Centre were working
against the clock.
CHRIS TRIMMER (11:37):
Once material has been cut off the tree, it is
dying. So we need to get inthere as soon as possible to do
our work.
I'm Chris Trimmer, I'm the PlantConservation Centre Manager and
I look after all the rare andunusual plants in the National
Trust. I actually found out thatthe tree had been cut down from
our national press team. I had aphone call and essentially we
(12:01):
just started all the prep workbehind the scenes.
To move plant material we had toissue what's called a plant
passport, did that straightaway. One of our gardens
consultants were actually onsite within sort of day, day and
a half afterwards. And they sentmaterial down to us through the
post they sent first class andit arrived here nine o'clock on
(12:25):
Saturday morning.
We asked for seed which is oneof the easiest methods of
propagation but also cuttingsdoing grafting budding from the
same sort of material. So bySaturday five o'clock everything
was propagated and it's all gonequite well so far.
We've got 21 cuttings, we've gotfive budded trees, we've got 15
(12:47):
grafted trees. And we've sownfour seed trays so far of seeds.
But we don't know what's goingto happen. But the stump that's
been left behind will probablygrow as a multi stem tree. But
it'll never look the same as itdid. And it'll be another two,
three hundred years before itlooks good.
HEATHER BIRKETT (13:07):
And then all their efforts paid off. They
successfully propagated cuttingsand cultivated seeds, creating a
whole new generation of SycamoreGap trees. The first of these
made a special journey to Londonin May, where it was put on
display for all to see in theNational Trust Garden at the
Chelsea Flower Show.
(13:28):
The young seedling was placedinto the Garden by
seven-year-old Charlotte andDame Judi Dench, who
affectionately named itAntoninus, after Emperor
Hadrian's adopted son, inspiredby the location of the Sycamore
Gap tree.
Charlotte and her parents, Andyand Louise, travelled down from
their home in Northumberland.
LOUISE (13:51):
Well, I grew up in Hayden Bridge. Which is, what,
maybe five miles from the gap.When we found out the day it
happened, we were both at workand Charlotte was at school, and
that night went for a drivealong just to see if it was
true.
And it was just so strange notseeing that tree there. It was
quite emotional. Wasn't it, whenyou find out and you think,
that's just a tree. Why am Igetting upset over a tree? But
(14:14):
it's strange how a tree up inNorthumberland is all over the
world. It's made such an impacton everyone.
I just remember Charlotte wassaying to me one day, oh, I've
got to do this with the school,write a poem about Sycamore Gap.
HEATHER BIRKETT (14:27):
A competition was set up, inviting pupils from
Henshaw Primary School, theclosest school to Sycamore Gap,
in which pupils were invited todraw a picture of the tree and
write a short... Poem about whatit meant to them and it was
Charlotte's poem which won.
CHARLOTTE (14:42):
I went to see Hadrian's Wall and I saw a tree.
It was a mindful tree. It was amindful famous tree. It was a
mindful famous historical tree.It was a mindful famous
historical magnificent tree. Itwas a mindful, famous,
historical, magnificent,welcoming tree. I really hope
Sycamore Gap goes back. When Igo and see the tree, it brings
(15:07):
back lots of memories.
HEATHER BIRKETT (15:09):
After the show, the seedling was returned to the
Plant Conservation Centre, whereit continues to grow alongside
its siblings until they areready for planting. The first
successful sapling has beengifted to His Royal Highness The
King. In honour of CelebrationDay, a day dedicated to
remembering those no longer withus. This special tree will be
(15:31):
planted in Windsor Great Parkfor all visitors to enjoy.
It's now the beginning of July,ten months after the felling,
and hopes of any regrowth at thestump are starting to fade.
But at various sites inNorthumberland, the first
(15:52):
artworks, are about to go ondisplay. These are five prints
by Shona Branigan, who is knownfor her evocative tree prints.
The prints have beencommissioned by the National
Trust as a creative response tothe public's suggestions. This
collection, lovingly titledHeartwood, is designed to
reflect the intricate shape andessence of the tree trunk.
(16:16):
The five prints will beshowcased together at the
Queen's Hall Hexham and then atthe The Baltic Art Gallery in
Newcastle.
Then, at the end of July, I geta call from Andrew Poad, General
Manager at Hadrian's Wall, withthe news that we have all been
hoping for.
ANDREW POAD (16:37):
We've just heard from our colleagues at the
National Park that the stumpsactually started regrowing,
which is brilliant news.
HEATHER BIRKETT (16:44):
Oh, that's fantastic news, Andrew.
ANDREW POAD (16:46):
Yeah, it was a real pleasant surprise to get the
call. The really nice story isthe chap who found it is the
first person that was on sitethat confirmed that the tree had
actually been felled. He's theNational Trail Ranger for
Hadrian's Wall. So it's reallynice that it's him that's the
one that's spotted the regrowthfirst. A little bit of
serendipity there.
(17:07):
So the last time I was there, wegot up to 12 new shoots. They're
only a few centimetres tall anda few centimetres across with
two or three leaves on eachshoot. And they're a lovely
rusty red colour at the moment.And that's great. I mean, this
is nature bouncing back. This ishow it responds. And whether all
the shoots survive or notremains to be seen.
(17:30):
I'm delighted the tree'sregrowing, although it'll never
look the same as the originaltree. It's the best possible
outcome we could get. So it'sreally nice to share, when I was
on site, sharing that with otherpeople. What we were saying to a
lot of them who had childrenwith them is that they're going
to need to come back in... 10,20 years time and see the
(17:50):
results of what they've justwitnessed.
HEATHER BIRKETT (17:54):
As encouraging signs of regrowth emerge at the
stump, plans are also underwayfor the stored wood. After a
year of careful seasoning, thelargest section has been gifted
to the Northumberland NationalPark Authority. CEO Tony Gates
tells us more.
TONY GATES (18:13):
The National Park Authority, we own and run the...
Sill National LandscapeDiscovery Centre on Hadrian's
Wall.
It's the closest visitor centreto the site of Sycamore Gap. We
get about 125,000 visitors ayear through the centre and it
would have been one of the mostpopular starting points for
people who wanted to walk to seethe Sycamore Gap tree.
(18:35):
We gathered all the feedbackthat people sent to us following
the felling of the tree and oneof the things that came through
is that people wanted to seesome type of long-term legacy
for the tree in the Sill, In thevisitor centre and so we've
negotiated with the NationalTrust and they've kindly agreed
to gift us the largest remainingintact section of the Sycamore
(18:55):
Gap tree and the idea is that weuse that to create a lasting
legacy for Sycamore Gap thatpeople can visit in the Sill
National Landscape Centre and itmeans that people who maybe
physically can't get as far outas the site itself can still
have some contact with the tree.
HEATHER BIRKETT (19:14):
Earlier in the year a call went out for artists
to design an exhibition thatwould incorporate the gifted
tree section. This exhibition isset to open at the Sill in the
Northumberland National ParkDiscovery Centre one year after
the felling. The commissionedartists are Charlie Winnie, Nick
Greenall and Matt Sowerby.
(19:39):
It's a beautiful sunny day inAugust and I've come to a Barn
in rural Cumbria. Nestledbetween the majestic fells of
the Lake District and the openwaters of Morecambe Bay, it's a
really special corner of Cumbriathat feels incredibly tucked
away.
The Barn is home to an artist'sstudio where the artists
specialise in art made fromwood.
(20:04):
We're inside the studio now andyou might be able to hear a
little bit of action in thebackground, some sawing and
drilling, but I'm sat here withtwo of the artists involved.
NICK GREENALL (20:14):
Good afternoon, my name's Nick Greenall and this
is Charlie Winnie and jointlywe're both directors of a
community interest companycalled Creative Communities and
we do kind of out there artprojects with members of the
community who might not normallyget the opportunity to do that
kind of thing.
On this particular project, theSycamore Gap project, we're
(20:34):
working with a poet called MattSowerby. So we've got poetry,
we've got Charlie Winnie who'san amazing steam woodbender.
HEATHER BIRKETT (20:43):
We come to you Charlie, I wondered if you could
tell us a bit about your work.
CHARLIE WHINNEY (20:46):
The reason you can see all these strange,
twizzly, curly shapes around youis because my sketchbook is full
of these shapes and part of theinterest and the challenge for
me is to take normal wood from atree outside and use as little
energy as possible and stillachieve beautiful results.
HEATHER BIRKETT (21:07):
So can I ask, have you seen the tree?
NICK GREENALL (21:10):
We have. Charlie was keen to study the material
that he'd be working with, andthere was a bit of mystery about
where the tree actually mightbe. It may be in Devon, it may
be in Berwick-upon-Tweed. Andthen they took us, and then the
tree out of the darkness wasrevealed.
CHARLIE WHINNEY (21:27):
When I saw it, I'd already met, I don't know,
like 100 people who had tearswhen it came down. And I think
looking at the bark of the treeand all the interesting swirls
and patterns... Having alreadystudied loads of photographs of
the living tree, and it waslike, oh my God, it's you. It's
the same one. It was a strangefeeling.
NICK GREENALL (21:47):
Because I'd seen the tree in life in this dip on
Hadrian's Wall. It was just veryaesthetic. It was the right tree
in the right place. And thenseeing it cut up as a log, there
was definitely a disconnectbetween seeing a log of wood and
this formerly beautiful tree inlife.
HEATHER BIRKETT (22:02):
So Charlie, what happens next?
CHARLIE WHINNEY (22:04):
There were two stages to this project. You've
come to us now about five weeksbefore the first stage is going
to be complete. It's going to bethe one year on exhibition at
the Sill. And I'm making fivegiant canvases that are going to
go on the Wall. They're going todepict the tree wrapping around
the gallery, kind of life size.
(22:25):
And in the middle of the gallerywill be our log, which the
National Trust have currentlygiven us.
NICK GREENALL (22:30):
So there'll be an opportunity for people to make
pledges. And they may be pledgesof what they're going to do for
nature. And it's these pledgesthat will be gathered and they
will form part of the finalpiece that Charlie is going to
make.
HEATHER BIRKETT (22:43):
So as a phase one that's an amazing way to
capture people's feelings andconnection with the tree. What
happens to all those pledgesafterwards?
CHARLIE WHINNEY (22:51):
I'll show you so in my hands here I've got one
of our samples from the finalsculpture so these are just
ideas.
HEATHER BIRKETT (22:58):
I can see some twisted wood almost in a spiral
with a lovely grain on it andthen engraved onto the flat side
of the twist some words. I willget chickens who will eat our
scraps.
At the exhibition at the Sill,visitors will see a section of
the felled Sycamore Gap tree,along with all the artwork
(23:18):
surrounding it. Charlie's alsodesigned seating for the show,
so visitors can sit, reflect andimmerse in the exhibition.
NICK GREENALL (23:27):
So we're going to go next door now, and we've been
steaming some wood, so theprocess of steam woodbending is
we heat the wood in a steamchamber and all the lignin and
cellulose in the wood becomesmalleable and then you're able
to bend it. It's quite amarvellous thing to see so let's
go and have a look.
HEATHER BIRKETT (23:44):
Sounds like magic.
CHARLIE WHINNEY (23:46):
So this metal thing here is a compression
strap that I'm going to put onthe outside of the wood. It's
got a compression strap so it'sgoing to literally squash all
the fibres as we bend around.The wood needs to be about 100
degrees. If it isn't then it'llbreak.
So this is a piece of ash thatI'm putting in here. So I'm
(24:06):
going to put it into thecompression strap, and I'm going
to see how many times I can bendthis piece of ash around here.
I'm going to go for number four.There we go, there's our thing.
HEATHER BIRKETT (24:22):
And then it was my turn to have a go.
CHARLIE WHINNEY (24:25):
Do you see all the sculptures over there? Yes.
You're making one of them. Okay.Can you say they all look
completely different? Yes. Sothere's no rules? Okay. You can
do what you want.
HEATHER BIRKETT (24:34):
Charlie has handed me five strands of wood
that we're going to wrap aroundhere.
CHARLIE WHINNEY (24:41):
Yeah.
HEATHER BIRKETT (24:42):
Oh, it's not easy.
CHARLIE WHINNEY (24:44):
That's perfect. There you go.
HEATHER BIRKETT (24:45):
Like a granny knot in wood.
Thank you so much for showing meyour workshop, Charlie, and to
show us how this wood is bent.And it really gives us an
insight into the kind of methodsand skills involved in the work
that you're going to be doingfor the Sycamore Gap project.
(25:06):
Stage one of the exhibition isset to run at the Sill until the
end of October, ahead of thepermanent exhibition in spring
2025. Meanwhile, the saplings,which are around five feet tall,
are thriving under the expertcare of the Plant Conservation
Centre.
To Mark the one-year-onanniversary, 49 of the new
(25:28):
Sycamore Gap trees will beavailable for the public to
request through the Trees ofHope campaign, while a handful
of the others have or are in theprocess of being allocated to
amazing projects around thecountry. Please head to our
episode show notes for moredetails.
The Sycamore Gap tree may begone, but its legacy lives on in
(25:50):
a story that is far from over.
Thank you for listening to theNational Trust Podcast. If
you've liked what you've heard,please make sure to subscribe on
(26:12):
your favourite podcast app orvisit us at
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts. Until next time, from
me, Heather Burkett, goodbye.
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