Sycamore Gap: Hadrian's Wall damaged when tree 'deliberately felled'

Experts have said Hadrian's Wall was damaged when the tree at Sycamore Gap was felled in September. Credit: PA

Hadrian’s Wall suffered damage when the famous Sycamore Gap tree was felled, Historic England has said.

The tree, which stood in a dip on Hadrian's Wall, was deliberately felled overnight between  27 and 28 September.

Historic England has carried out an assessment and said the Roman wall, which is a World Heritage Site, suffered cracks when the tree fell on it and some fragments have come off it.

There was a huge outcry when news of the incident spread in September.

What is Sycamore Gap? A history of the world-famous Robin Hood tree

The sycamore, which was voted tree of the year in 2016, was made famous when it starred in a scene in Kevin Costner’s 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.

Northumbria Police have arrested a total of four people in connection with the September attack.

Historic England said it passed information about the damage to the tree to the police, whose inquiries continue.

The body said it was also carrying out analysis to age the felled tree, which has been taken away for safe-keeping while a decision is made on what to do with it.

The 50ft tree was looked after by the Northumberland National Park Authority and the National Trust.

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