By Iain Todd

Published: Friday, 29 September 2023 at 05:59 AM

The landmark tree at Sycamore Gap located near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, UK, has been felled.

The tree, which is considered an iconic symbol of the north east of England, was “deliberately felled,” say Northumberland National Park Authority officials.

The incident occurred in the early morning of 28 September.

The 300-year-old tree was a landmark often captured by photographers, including astrophotographers who took advantage of the region’s dark skies to image the tree against a starry night sky.

Kielder Observatory, which is located in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, and which is one of the UK’s most popular dark-sky sites, said the news was “devastating for the region” in a post on X (formerly Twitter)

“We’ve seen so many beautiful images of Sycamore Gap over the years and hope that there is some accountability for this act of vandalism.”

Dan Monk, an astronomer at Kielder Observatory posted on X: “Living just 5 minutes down the road, it has been a place of solace for me on dark starry nights.

“It was a symbol that represented the unrivalled history and beauty of Northumberland.”