When the famous Sycamore Gap tree, thought to be more than 300 years old, was cut down last week it caused not just anger but deep sadness. The Guardian north of England correspondent Robyn Vinter travelled to Hadrian’s Wall to report on it and was struck by the grief people felt. Even the police on the scene had stories to tell of their personal connections to the tree, which had become one of the most photographed in Britain.
Michael Safi hears how the tree was a beloved living monument. How for some people it represented the beauty of the north-east, and was prized by others for the sense of history it evoked. Robin explains what local people want to see put up in its place.
The Guardian columnist and author George Monbiot explains why such trees have a unique hold on us – and what it tells us about Britain’s relationship with nature. He discusses how the outpouring of anger at the vandalism of its felling could be channelled into protecting the country’s old trees.
Photograph: Murdo Macleod/The Guardian
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