Sycamore Gap tree latest: Chainsaw recovered from farm as lumberjack in 60s released

Jump to content Sign up to our newsletters Subscribe News Sports Voices Culture Lifestyle Travel Premium Close Hairy Bikers say Sycamore Gap tree culprit ‘murdered spirit of Northumberland’ Police have released an arrested man, in his 60s, on bail after the Sycamore Gap tree was felled. Northumbria Police said the man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage on Friday and was released on bail pending further inquiries. A relative posted a picture of the retired lumberjack at home with his grandson as they denied his involvement in the felling. A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: ‘A male in his 60s was arrested in connection with the incident. He has since been released on police bail, pending further enquiries.’ A boy, 16, who was also arrested on suspicion of criminal damage on Thursday was later released on bail. It came as police have seized a large chainsaw as they searched a barn closeby to where the Sycamore Gap tree stood. Officers searched Plankey Mill farm, a property inhabited until recently by Walter Renwick, 69, who has taken to social media to vehemently deny his involvement in the cutting down the tree. 1696236344 Police have released an arrested man, in his 60s, on bail after the Sycamore Gap tree was felled. Northumbria Police said the man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage on Friday and was released on bail pending further inquiries. A relative posted a picture of the lumberjack at home with his grandson as they denied his involvement in the felling. The force said the investigation remains ongoing. A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: ‘A male in his 60s was arrested in connection with the incident. He has since been released on police bail, pending further enquiries.’ A boy, 16, who was also arrested on suspicion of criminal damage on Thursday was later released on bail. Barney Davis 2 October 2023 09:45 1696304520 Sycamore Gap: 300-year-old tree stars in 90s classic Robin Hood movie before vandalism Andy Gregory 3 October 2023 04:42 1696300560 The tree, believed to have been one of the most photographed in the country, used to sit along Hadrian’s Wall – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – in rural Northumberland and was a popular hotspot for tourists, walkers and others. It is believed to have dated back to medieval times and has been excavated on two occasions – between 1908 and 1911, and again between 1982 and 1987 when Roman remains linked to Hadrian’s Wall were found. The sycamore perhaps first became known around the globe after featuring in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman and Alan Rickman. Matt Mathers 3 October 2023 03:36 1696296660 Our associate editor Sean O’Grady writes: I’m not quite sure why trees can have such a powerful hold on us, but it’s a remarkable, almost spiritual phenomenon. We sense they are living things – often venerable, always graceful, occasionally of stunning beauty. As has been rightly observed, the sycamore that stood by Hadrian’s Wall for 300 years was handsome enough to be a film star, and its performance in the 1991 version of the tale of Robin Hood was hardly wooden. Seeing it lying there, stricken, helpless, slowly dying makes one irrationally depressed – it’s only a tree, you try to tell yourself. I’d never met the tree, after all. But, like many of us, it was a sad sight. To those who had some connection with it – a marriage, a scattering of ashes, a habitual resting stop – its loss is more akin to a bereavement. Many tears have been shed. I know it’s silly and anthropomorphic in a way, but you cannot help reflecting on what the sycamore ‘observed’ since it was a sapling in the early 18th century – before Jane Austen had written her first novel, a century before Queen Victoria was born, and not that long after the English Civil War. The tree, in a precarious gap, had survived countless assaults by nature including the great heatwave of 1911, the drought in 1976, the 1987 Great Storm and the freakish weather patterns of recent years. Not just two world wars, but the Napoleonic Wars and the revolt in the American colonies. It’s been there from George I to Charles III. It gave joy and solace to generations. Now it’s gone, and it, well, leaves a gap in every sense. Andy Gregory 3 October 2023 02:31 1696292400 Fundraisers have raised £4,220 to help restore and rejuvenate the area where the Sycamore Gap stood. Andy Gregory 3 October 2023 01:20 1696288560 A man who planted a sapling near the Sycamore Gap tree says he is ‘devastated’ after it was removed – and has responded to those who have criticised him on social media. Kieran Chapman, aged 27, told The Independent : ‘As a nation we’ve had a tough time with Covid and then this happened. I felt moved to plant the sapling as an act of sentiment and to show people we can move forward with something new.’ He added: ‘I was devastated when I heard it had been taken away. I really hope they do eventually plant a new tree there.’ Kieran Chapman has also responded to those who have criticised his move to plant the sapling Andy Gregory 3 October 2023 00:16 1696285336 Striking a note of optimism after the iconic Sycamore Gap tree was felled, experts have suggested it could be saved. In an incident that caused widespread outrage and upset, the world-famous tree, next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, was chopped down overnight on Wednesday. However, all hope is not lost, according to Andrew Poad of the National Trust, who pointed to the health of the ancient Sycamore Gap, which is thought to be around 300 years old, as giving reason to believe the tree could regrow. Widespread outrage and upset as police believe cutting down of tree was deliberate act of vandalism Andy Gregory 2 October 2023 23:22 1696281396 A tourist attraction, a film location and a symbol of hope – the felled Sycamore Gap tree was many things to many people. The 300 year-old natural beauty was one of the most photographed trees in the country and an iconic sight next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland. My colleague Faiza Shaheen has this report carrying pictures of the tree: A natural beauty which will be remembered by many people across the country Andy Gregory 2 October 2023 22:16 1696276876 A walker laid a floral tribute at Sycamore Gap in Northumberland after the tree was felled in what police have called a ‘deliberate act of vandalism’, reports my colleague Holly Patrick . Footage posted on Twitter last Thursday by North of Tyne Combined Authority shows a walker laying flowers near the tree stump close to Hadrian’s Wall. Walker lays flower tribute at historic Sycamore Gap after tree felling Andy Gregory 2 October 2023 21:01 1696273342 ‘Minutes to cut down and centuries to grow back, if it ever does,’ is the devastating verdict of experts on the iconic Sycamore Gap tree after it was felled, my colleague Tara Cobham reports. With police believing it to be a deliberate act of vandalism, the chainsaw-cutting down of the world-famous tree next to Hadrian’s Wall, in Northumberland, has triggered widespread outrage and sorrow. While in such harsh, rocky and exposed conditions, which slow down growth, the Sycamore Gap tree could take up to 200 years to reach a similar size to what it was a few days ago, said Mark Feather, UK estate manager for conservation charity The Woodland Trust. He added that even though there is a ‘chance’ of regrowth, this is not guaranteed, especially because of the great age and size of the tree. ‘Hopefully it will,’ he said. ‘But this is not a given certainty. Time will tell.’ If the Sycamore Gap tree does succeed in resprouting, said it is ‘unlikely’ it would return to its former statuesque shape, and would instead probably become a ‘bushy tree with multiple stems at the base’. Experts say vandal likely had previous experience chopping down trees but is not a professional Andy Gregory 2 October 2023 20:02 Northumberland Hadrian’s Wall Trees Police investigations are ongoing after the iconic Sycamore Gap tree was felled, with the chainsaw of a key suspect now confiscated. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images; North News & Pictures Ltd Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in