Shock, sadness and anger over the destruction of the 300-year-old Sycamore Gap tree have been expressed by readers contacting the Guardian with personal memories of its picturesque presence.
The tree meant so much to so many. A local man, Michael Palmer, summed it up: “Sycamore Gap is a Northumberland symbol, more than a piece of landscape, more than just a tree; it’s as instantly recognisable as the Palace of Westminster or the Liver Building.”
Séamus Enright, from Cork, Ireland, discovered the tree in 2011. He said: “I wasn’t aware of it’s reputation but it struck me that it had managed to eke out an existence for itself in the rocky soil of Northumbria, blissfully unaware that it was living where the northern fringe of the Roman empire was designated to be 1,800 years ago. It seemed like a resistance by nature to the very idea of borders and nationalities.”
Recollections of being held “spellbound by its glorious deep green isolation in a sea of moorland grass” merged with those of childhood games played in its shade. Memories of final visits with dying relatives were combined with reflections on urban children transformed into nature lovers under its boughs.
Beatrice, a retired teacher, said: “I feel that this tree has kept company with me my entire adult life, from a 19-year-old student to being an OAP. Seeing it felled is like saying goodbye to a friend for the last time.”
She remembered being a teacher in Hackney many decades ago. “I brought kids here to walk this section of the wall and we always stopped to rest under the tree. These included kids who had never been outside London. Some I met later told me that this place started a lifelong love of landscape,” she added.
There were many memories of the tree inspiring games derived from the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves film – some with plot spoilers. James, who grew up not far from the Sycamore Gap tree, said: “As young children, my brother, sister and I would try to climb it, like Daniel Newman who played Wulf in the film.”
“It’s actually impossible,” he said. “There are were no low branches to climb up from, so we concluded there must have been a ladder behind the tree for him to get up it.”
James added: “One of my last memories of my father is walking that stretch of Hadrian’s Wall. He had advanced cancer then, and I remember us resting for a while sat on the wall underneath it. I told my family that the tree had been cut down; my brother told me he felt like a piece of his soul had been cut down with it. I think I feel the same way.”
Jonathan Hopkins, from London, said the tree gave succour to so many. “My Pennine Way walk last year coincided with two of the hottest days on record. I’d not realised how devoid of tree cover much of the UK countryside is and spent a great deal of time wishing for a tree to appear. Just one would do,” he said.
“While walking the undulating track along Hadrian’s Wall, with the lunchtime sun beating down and my feet in desperate need of an airing, the Sycamore Gap tree appeared like an oasis. Upon arriving, I discovered I wasn’t the only one who’d earmarked Sycamore Gap as the day’s designated rest spot, and was met by a smattering of dozing hikers, families tucking into warm sandwiches, and Kevin Costner fans re-enacting that scene from Robin Hood.. It was a wonderful little place.”
Amid the memories, there were ideas for what to do in the future to commemorate. “Hopefully something good will come of this hideous desecration,” said Julia Cheeseman, from Cumbria. She suggested a bench made from the sycamore’s wood at the spot where it was felled.
Stephen, from Dresden, suggested new trees grown from seeds and grafts of the original tree planted along Hadrian’s Wall. Joe Martin, from Durham, favoured a sapling, whose “vulnerability will be a reminder, for a time, of the delicacy of our natural heritage”.
Others felt less trusting of others’ openness to such reminders. “I think another tree should be planted in its place,” said one reader. “But it should be protected by some sort of barrier and, if possible, CCTV.”
