The famous lone tree which stands at Sycamore Gap, along Hadrian's Wall, has been felled, apparently by vandals.
Reports spread quickly on Thursday morning after walkers discovered the 300-year-old old tree had been cut down overnight.
Local photographer Ian Sproat shared images via Instagram of the fallen tree.
View this post on Instagram
The famous tree is framed perfectly by the contours of the surrounding land, and images of the scene have been reproduced countless times.
Country Life’s walking columnist Fiona Reynolds visited the area of Hadrian’s Wall around Sycamore Gap this summer, calling it ‘the highlight’ of her trip: ‘The tree, hundreds of years old, occupies a steep dip, perfectly symmetrical and beautifully placed, although whether by chance or on purpose we’ll never know.
Mr Sproat spoke to BBC Radio Newcastle about what he had witnessed at the scene.
‘It looked like a two-foot chainsaw has went through the tree from the south,’ he said.
‘A big part of the North East has now gone.’
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The tree is one of the most famous in the world, appearing on countless posters, postcards and in film and television. Sycamore Gap even features in the Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves — albeit in a sequence in which the hero us supposed to have been walking from the White Cliffs of Dover to Nottingham.
🌳The Sycamore Gap Tree won England's #TreeOfTheYear contest in 2016.
💔How horrible to see it has been felled. https://t.co/VcO3V1kbUL
— Woodland Trust🌳 (@WoodlandTrust) September 28, 2023
As the news spread, people shared memories and tributes to the tree on social media; we’ve collated a selection of some of them below.
'The tree. Our tree'.
Those who cut down the Sycamore Gap tree,
Have committed an act of great cruelty.
They have shown no regard for nature's grace,
And left a scar upon this sacred place.
Let those who cut down the sycamore tree,
Beware the wrath of nature, wild and free.
For… pic.twitter.com/34Iy2rVwIr— North East Tweets (@NorthEastTweets) September 28, 2023
Devastating news, a special tree for so many. This tree has supported my recovery following a diagnosis of a long term condition, I was determined to visit after I came out of hospital and I did, for that I'm grateful, a bit of my heart has gone with this tree 💔🌳 #sycamoregap pic.twitter.com/t5PAq7mhl2
— Alison Bosworth 💙🏳️🌈 (@bosworth_alison) September 28, 2023
I am grieving all over again. I scattered my brother’s ashes here. This was OUR place. This was a place in which I found calm and solace, my grounding and orientation. This place means EVERYTHING to me. This is more than upsetting right now. #Grief #Siblings #SuicideLoss pic.twitter.com/CpTr8UwQWS
— Heather Moreno Sutherland (@HermanaMam) September 28, 2023