Damage to ancient Hadrian’s Wall confirmed after famous UK tree ‘deliberately felled’
When a famous British tree was “deliberately felled” in September, pictures showed the trunk lying, horizontal, over part of Britain’s Roman-built Hadrian’s Wall.
The tree, located in the Northumberland National Park in northern England, was recognizable internationally thanks to its cameo in Kevin Costner’s 1991 movie “Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.”
Its dramatic position in a gap in the landscape, framed by Hadrian’s Wall, inspired hundreds of photographers and helped it win England’s Tree of the Year in 2016.
A police investigation into the September incident, which is a suspected “deliberate act of vandalism,” remains ongoing. The tree has since been cut up and removed.
On Tuesday, Historic England – a government body that oversees preservation of ancient landmarks – confirmed part of Hadrian’s Wall where the felling took place has been damaged.
Historic England wrote in a social media post on Tuesday that following an archaeological appraisal, “cracks and fragments” were found broken off from two of the wall’s stones, stating that it believes the damage was “caused by the felling of the sycamore tree.”
Hadrian’s Wall was constructed by the Romans some 1,900 years ago to protect the northwestern frontier of the Roman Empire. The wall spans some 73 miles across northern England and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Historic England said it passed information about the damage to police to aid the ongoing investigation. It also confirmed plans to work with the National Trust – a UK charity which also helps look after the site – “on a plan to repair the damage” to Hadrian’s Wall.
Meanwhile, the National Trust is welcoming ideas from the public for “the future of the site and the tree” with people asked to get in touch with their suggestions.
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