Iconic Sycamore Gap tree chopped down in ‘vicious vandalism’

The Sycamore Gap tree, one of the most photographed trees in the country and a star of the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, has been found cut down in what is believed to be a ‘malicious act of vandalism’. The 300-year-old sycamore, which stood in a picturesque valley next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, was discovered felled on Thursday morning by a shocked walker. The tree, which won the 2016 England Tree of the Year award and featured in the 1991 Kevin Costner film, is thought to have been deliberately sawed at the base of the trunk with a chainsaw. The Northumberland National Park Authority, which owns the land where the tree stood, said it was working with the police and other partners to investigate the incident and make the site safe. The authority said the tree was ‘much-loved by people from across the world’ and asked the public not to visit the site at this time. The Sycamore Gap tree was one of the most iconic landmarks along Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World