CrimeUnited Kingdom englandvandalism

Some Jerk Just Chopped Down One Of The World’s Most Iconic Trees

Britain's beloved centuries-old Sycamore Gap Tree, also known as the Robin Hood Tree, was taken down with a chainsaw.
By 

Overnight Editor, HuffPost

Undated picture of the tree at Sycamore Gap, at Hadrian's Wall near Crag Lough, Northumberland, taken showing the Northern Lights.
Undated picture of the tree at Sycamore Gap, at Hadrian's Wall near Crag Lough, Northumberland, taken showing the Northern Lights.
Owen Humphreys - PA Images via Getty Images

A beloved tree in the United Kingdom that’s been photographed countless times was cut down in what police are calling an act of vandalism.

The Sycamore Gap Tree in Northumberland, England ― also known as the Robin Hood Tree due to its memorable role in the 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” ― was taken down with a chainsaw Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested, according to the BBC, which said he was helping with the investigation but did not elaborate.

The tree, which grew along Hadrian’s Wall in a dip between hills, was estimated to be 200 to 300 years old.

People look at the tree at Sycamore Gap, next to Hadrian's Wall, in Northumberland which has come down overnight after being "deliberately felled," the Northumberland National Park Authority has said.
People look at the tree at Sycamore Gap, next to Hadrian's Wall, in Northumberland which has come down overnight after being "deliberately felled," the Northumberland National Park Authority has said.
Owen Humphreys - PA Images via Getty Images

Locals told The Guardian they heard nothing due to high winds from a storm.

“I can’t understand why anyone would do this,” Kimberly McGuinness, the police and crime commissioner for Northumberland, told the newspaper. “It’s like stealing joy.”

The felled Sycamore Gap tree, is pictured behind a police cordon, along Hadrian's Wall, near Hexham, northern England on September 28, 2023. One of the UK's most photographed trees, located next to the Roman-era Hadrian's Wall in northeast England, has been "deliberately felled," the authority responsible for the local National Park said on September 28, 2023.
The felled Sycamore Gap tree, is pictured behind a police cordon, along Hadrian's Wall, near Hexham, northern England on September 28, 2023. One of the UK's most photographed trees, located next to the Roman-era Hadrian's Wall in northeast England, has been "deliberately felled," the authority responsible for the local National Park said on September 28, 2023.
OLI SCARFF via Getty Images

“We are devastated by the news that the #SycamoreGap tree in Northumberland — also known as the Robin Hood tree — has been felled,” Woodland Trust, the country’s largest woodland conservation organization, wrote on X. “This is a truly irreplaceable loss.”

The Trust had named the sycamore “Tree of the Year” in 2016.

The sun shines through a tree at the Sycamore Gap on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland.
The sun shines through a tree at the Sycamore Gap on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland.
Owen Humphreys - PA Images via Getty Images

“We are shocked and desperately saddened to learn that the famous Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian’s Wall has been felled overnight, in what appears to be an act of vandalism,” the National Trust wrote on X. “We know just how much this iconic tree is loved locally, nationally and by everyone who has visited.”

Sycamore Gap, near Steel Rigg, Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland, 2010. The site was used as a location in the making of the film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. Artist Graeme Peacock.
Sycamore Gap, near Steel Rigg, Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland, 2010. The site was used as a location in the making of the film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. Artist Graeme Peacock.
Heritage Images via Getty Images

People expressed dismay and shared memories on social media:

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