Hadrian’s Wall was damaged by felled Sycamore Gap tree, experts say
The famous tree was chopped down in an act of vandalism which police are still investigating
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Hadrian’s Wall suffered damage when the famous Sycamore Gap tree was felled in an act of vandalism, Historic England has said.
There was an outcry when the tree which stood in a dip in the Northumberland landscape was chainsawed, causing it to fall on the Roman wall, which is a World Heritage Site.
Northumbria Police have arrested a total of four people in connection with the September attack.
Historic England has carried out an assessment and said the wall suffered cracks and some fragments have come off it.
The organisation has passed the information on to the police, whose inquiries continue.
In a tweet, Historic England said: “We’ve carried out an archaeological appraisal of the damage to Hadrian’s Wall and can confirm there are some cracks and fragments broken off from 2 of the facing stones, which we believe have been caused by the felling of the Sycamore tree.”
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.
It was among the UK’s most photographed trees and was made famous in a scene in Kevin Costner’s 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.