Legacy of the Sycamore Gap: Trees of Hope take root across the UK
The story of a new chapter for the Sycamore Gap tree legacy begins this week as saplings grown from the seeds of the iconic tree are planted across the UK in publicly accessible spaces.
The tree, which stood next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, was illegally felled in September 2023. In response, the National Trust launched its “Trees of Hope” initiative to cultivate 49 saplings, one for each foot of the original tree’s height, and offer them to community groups, hospitals and public gardens.
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Read the full storyHilary McGrady, the charity’s Director-General, commented: “The quick thinking of our conservationists in the aftermath of the felling means the Sycamore Gap tree can now live on in a different form.”
Recipients include a veterans’ charity in Sunderland, a commemoration site for a mining disaster in Staffordshire and a youth-led tree-rescue project in Coventry. Each sapling carries both botanical heritage and symbolic weight.
The original tree was a beloved and much-photographed feature of the wall’s landscape, often depicted against the dramatic sweep of Northumberland’s moor-land. Its destruction provoked public outcry, emphasis on heritage protection and a renewed conversation about the value of natural landmarks.
“The planting of these saplings is not only about trees,” said Martina Irwin from the Coventry project. “It is about hope, renewal and the connection people feel to place.”
Plans are for the saplings to be planted during areas of high public foot-fall and over the months ahead, each site will install interpretative information explaining the tree’s history and the project’s purpose. The charity’s website outlines detailed guidance for host sites and visitors alike.
While the legacy saplings go out across the country, the tree’s own fate is still evolving. At its original location, new shoots are emerging from the stump and the charity is monitoring these for potential regrowth. In time, the story of the Sycamore Gap tree may be two-fold: one of new life taking root afar, and another of renewal in situ.
For readers interested in how young trees are nurtured after planting, there is clear step-by-step advice on long-term tree care here.
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