Sycamore Gap Stump Shows 'Encouraging' New Growth Three Years After Illegal Felling

The remains of the Sycamore Gap tree are displaying what site managers describe as "encouraging" signs of recovery, with a dense ring of fresh shoots emerging from the stump nearly three years after the landmark was deliberately cut down.

The tree, which stood beside Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, was attacked on 28 September 2023 by Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers. The two men travelled from their homes in Cumbria during a storm to carry out the felling, an act that prompted widespread public anger and led to their imprisonment for criminal damage.

The National Trust, which looks after the site together with Northumberland National Park, took the decision to fence off the remaining stump in order to give it the best possible opportunity to regenerate. That protective measure appears to be yielding results.

Andrew Poad, the trust's general manager, said he was "filled with hope by the way nature is taking its course". He described the flourishing shoots as "really encouraging" and pointed to a series of special measures that staff had put in place to support the tree's recovery.

Among those measures, Poad explained, were efforts to reduce soil compaction around the roots and to limit disturbance caused by human activity. He said the trust was grateful to visitors who had backed their work, adding that the aim was to give the tree "the best possible chance to thrive".

Poad also stressed that the recovery process would be carefully watched. He said the tree was being monitored closely and that, over time, rangers would manage it depending on how it developed, suggesting that any future decisions about the stump's care will be guided by its natural growth rather than a fixed plan.

The tree was planted in the late Victorian period and became one of the most photographed locations in northern England. It gained international recognition after appearing in a scene from the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner, and it remained a draw for photographers and artists throughout the decades that followed.

Its position on the former frontier of the Roman Empire gave it additional historical resonance, standing as it did on the line of Hadrian's Wall. The combination of natural beauty and Roman heritage made the spot a destination for visitors from around the world, and its loss was felt far beyond the immediate area.

The two men responsible were jailed in July 2025, receiving sentences of four years and three months each. Graham and Carruthers were 39 and 32 respectively at the time of their conviction. During the case, it emerged that they had filmed themselves carrying out the act and had taken a piece of the trunk away as a trophy.

Graham, a groundworker from near Carlisle, and Carruthers, a mechanic from Wigton, never offered an explanation for their actions. Prosecutors described the felling as a "moronic mission", and during the trial the pair attempted to shift responsibility onto one another rather than account for their motives.

Beyond the criminal proceedings, efforts have been made to preserve the tree's legacy in other ways. After the felling, seedlings were collected and kept at a secret National Trust facility, and saplings were subsequently donated to community groups and charities across the country.

Art projects were also launched in response to the incident, intended both to highlight the importance of nature and to express condemnation of the illegal felling. These initiatives formed part of a wider attempt to ensure that the tree's significance endured even after the original trunk was destroyed.

The latest development at the stump offers a different kind of continuity. The new shoots surrounding the base suggest that the root system retained enough vitality to produce fresh growth, and the fencing installed around the site has helped shield that process from further harm.

For the National Trust and its partners, the challenge now lies in managing the stump as it develops, balancing public interest in the site against the need to avoid disrupting its recovery. The trust has indicated that rangers will adapt their approach as the tree's condition becomes clearer over time.

While the new growth does not replace the mature sycamore that once dominated the gap in the wall, it represents a tangible sign that the site retains the capacity for renewal. For those who campaigned for the tree's protection and mourned its loss, the ring of shoots stands as evidence that the story of Sycamore Gap is not yet finished.