averilburystedmunds: The Sycamore Gap Tree Tragedy

The Sycamore Gap Tree in its perfect ancient place

“…..there is an old tree growing,

a great sycamore that is a wondrous healer of itself."

The Sycamore by Wendell Berry.

After the inexplicable vandalism during the night of Sept 27

In an artistic poster design

The sycamore of the poem has managed to withstand fire, and age- and weather-damage, but alas, the recently-ravaged Sycamore Gap Tree, sometimes known as the Robin Hood tree, in Northumberland, is beyond remedy. It had proudly stood for 300 years, next to Hadrian’s Wall which has been a designated UNESCO World Heritage site since 1991, in a perfect dramatic dip in the landscape, a magnet for photographers and artists world-wide, and for both tourists and locals too. Indeed, it had assumed an almost mythical status as part of the cultural identity of north-east England; a place where lovers became engaged; first dates occurred; the bereaved went to grieve and remember; fond parents to celebrate their new baby; special family events were recalled; its image used countless times in newspapers and magazines and introduced to a much bigger audience after it featured in the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves as the tryst meeting place for Robin and Maid Marion.

Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Newcastle

Its huge emotional significance has been loudly proclaimed since the vandalism, and the consequent anger which erupted strongly when the tree was inexplicably and brutally felled during the night of September,27th, has been visceral. The Bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, who quickly visited the site, said, “There’s a real sense of sadness in the air. It reminded me of the rawness of the landscape. It was just heartbreaking and almost unreal to see the tree felled.”

“I’m bereft,” said Dan Jackson, local historian and author of The Northumbrian" Unlike so many landmarks in the north-east –the Tyne Bridge, the Angel, Durham Cathedral – this was a beautiful living thing, perfectly situated in one of the world’s historic landscapes.” For locals, Sycamore Gap was as much a symbol of the north-east as the Angel of the North.

Historian Dan
Jackson: author of
The Northumbrian

A sixteen year old boy has been arrested and subsequently released, while a 65 year old former lumberjack is still in custody, protesting innocence. The totally mystifying reason for the cutting down remains, amid the widespread anger and sense of loss. There are so many studies which testify to the proven efficacy for humans of being near to, beneath and among, trees. All point to the significant psychological benefits of walking through forests; indeed forest environments are expected to have very important roles in promoting
mental health in the future. ‘Forest bathing’, deliberately spending time among the woods, has been shown to help us deal with the strains and stresses of urban life..

In another recent study, walking among trees was

Forest bathing

shown to lower people’s blood pressure, cortisol levels, pulse rates and sympathetic nervous system activity [related to stress] while increasing nervous system activity, [related to relaxation]. All of these physiological markers are tied to better heart health. As a child, I was inordinately fond of trees; it was an instinctive attraction and my sisters and I always played, every day, in the wood adjoining our garden. We were in a small gang of boys who seemed, in memory, to meet and play together every day for several years. Our meeting place was always ‘our wood‘ and our games centred on climbing trees, making dens, finding hiding places and spying, generally from trees, on others. It was the happiest of environments, one of my most enduring childhood images and, in retrospect, accidentally healing too.

Relaxation beneath trees. An instinctive pastime

The Robin Hood connection alluded to above, reminded me strongly of the Major Oak near Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire, very near the area in which I grew up. This is even more venerable than the Sycamore Gap tree; it is around 1000 years old, quite probably the result of that distant planting, with several slim saplings planted so closely together that gradually they intertwined and grew into one huge whole. It has been hollow for hundreds of years, owing probably to a fungal infection; certainly there is a strong connection of this tree with Robin Hood and his merry men who were reputed to have hidden inside the hollow trunk to escape pursuers. I took my three, then very small, children to see the Major Oak, probably in the late 60s, and they, too, hid excitedly inside the great empty trunk, safe from the Sheriff of Nottingham! It was not hugely famous until 1760 when a Major Hayman Rooke described it in a book he published. The elderly tree was later named after him, the Major, and is not a tribute to its age or size! The Major Oak was voted England’s favourite tree in 2002 and in 2014 was awarded the title of Tree of The Year.

Needing assistance to survive at 1000 years of age
The Major Oak, near Edwinstowe, Notts
Tree of the Year 2014

There are innumerable written testimonies to the power and importance of trees, many of which are inspiring. I wish I knew the Sycamore Gap vandal in case any of the following were able to inspire him or shame him or cause him to pause and regret.

“Ancient trees are precious. There is little else on Earth that plays host to such a rich community of life within a single living organism.” Sir David Attenborough.

“Finland is officially the world’s happiest country. It is also 75 per cent forest. I believe these facts are related.” Matt Haig

“That each day I may walk unceasingly on the banks of my water, that my soul may repose on the branches of the trees which I planted, that I may refresh myself under the shadow of my sycamore.” Egyptian tomb inscription

“To be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots.” Richard Mabey

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.” Robert Louis Stevenson

“He that plants trees, loves others besides himself.” Thomas Fuller