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Sycamore Gap tree: The story so far

Chris Robinson
BBC News, North East and Cumbria
Mark Beadle The tree pictured in sunnier weather with the wall stretching out beyond itMark Beadle
The Sycamore Gap tree was a landmark of Northumberland and northern England

Two men have been convicted of chopping down the Sycamore Gap tree, which once stood in a dip next to Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland. It was an incredibly popular landmark, what happened to it and why was it so beloved?

What was the Sycamore Gap tree?

Quite simply it was a single sycamore tree growing in a natural dip in the countryside along Hadrian's Wall, close to the village of Once Brewed.

The National Trust, which looks after the site with the Northumberland National Park Authority, said it was planted in the late 1800s by previous landowner John Clayton to be a "feature in the landscape".

PA Media/Owen Humphreys Two police officers in black clothes and blue gloves take pictures of the felled tree, with a line of police tape between us and themPA Media/Owen Humphreys
Forensic investigators examined the remains of the Sycamore Gap tree

While a popular spot for walkers and photographers due to its unusual setting, it became famous after featuring in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner. Afterwards, it gained the nickname the Robin Hood Tree - although in reality it was some 170 miles (273 km) from Sherwood Forest.

Dan Newman, whose character Wulf hides in the tree and is rescued by the eponymous hero, told the BBC it was the first scene he filmed on his very first day on set.

Warner Bros./Kevin Reynolds Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman and Dan Newman in old costumes of cloaks and brown wool talk to each other beside the tree and wallWarner Bros./Kevin Reynolds
Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman and Dan Newman at the tree in 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

The film's director Kevin Reynolds said it was "one of the most quintessentially idyllic spots in the world and now it's gone, it's murdered, and for what reason":[]}