Largest section from Sycamore Gap tree goes on permanent display at The Sill
The tree has been given a permanent home at Northumberland National Park’s The Sill:
Last updated 10th Jul 2025
When the iconic Sycamore Gap tree was tragically felled in 2023, the nation reacted with shock, outrage and sadness. Standing proudly along Hadrian’s Wall UNESCO World Heritage Site and in Northumberland National Park, the tree was more than just a landmark, it was a symbol of peace, beauty, and connection to nature. People picnicked beneath its branches, paused to reflect in its shade, and captured memories that spanned generations.
The tree was felled in what prosecutors called a "moronic mission" by Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers in September 2023 and its destruction caused an outpouring of anger and disbelief.
The pair from Cumbria were convicted of criminal damage following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court and will be sentenced on Tuesday July 15.
Now, nearly two years later, Northumberland National Park Authority is welcoming the tree home as part of a new striking installation.
Just two miles from where it once grew, the largest remaining section of the Sycamore Gap tree will now go on permanent display at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre. This new exhibit offers a space for reflection, remembrance, and reconnection and is free for all to see.
The sycamore tree before it was felled
The scene after the tree had been cut down
Above: The tree reborn in art
The exhibit is the work of artist Charlie Whinney and the Creative Communities CIC collective and commissioned by Northumberland National Park Authority in two phases. The first phase marked the first anniversary and involved a public consultation on the future of this section of the original tree, and the second now provides a permanent home for it at The Sill.
Three key themes which emerged from the public consultation of nature, people and place have been carefully incorporated into the final artwork. The resulting exhibit honours the tree’s natural form while inviting people to engage with it in a deeply personal way.
The trunk stands upright, just as it once did in the landscape. Surrounded by three oak benches, from which rise elegant streams of steam-bent wood, that form a canopy in the shape of a giant sycamore leaf that gently embraces the tree and those engaging with it.
The design evokes the shelter the tree once offered, now recreated in a new form, where people can once again gather, sit, and reflect.
“This commission has been the biggest honour of my career,” says Charlie Whinney, artist behind the new exhibition.
“The work has pushed and challenged my practice in every way – and completely changed how I view individual trees. I learned a huge amount getting to know more about the project and the amazing people involved, and we also used every single tool in the workshop.
“The work acknowledges a moment in time when the nation reacted to the felling of a single tree which is massively significant in a time when our culture is not so connected to the natural world we are all part of. We’ve used words people said at the time in the work arranged as a branching organic sculptural poem.
“I really hope what we’ve done in some small way allows the people of Northumberland and those who held this tree close to their hearts to process the loss they still feel from that day in September 2023, when the tree was illegally cut down. The work looks forward with hope, the tree is regrowing, and Sycamore Gap will always be a magical place to visit.”
A collective tribute
What makes this exhibit truly special is that it has been shaped by the public who cared deeply about it. In the days and months after the tree was felled, The Sill became a place of celebration and memory. Visitors left post-it notes, letters, drawings and messages expressing grief, love, and hope. As part of the consultation phase of the commission, the artists spoke with community groups and more than 300 school children. Selected tributes have now been individually cut out of wood veneers made of ash, oak and walnut, flow from the floor in three streams, the dedications rise toward the canopy, forming new poems each time they’re read.
“This was the people's tree and so from the start, we knew there had to be a public-led response,” says Tony Gates, Chief Executive of Northumberland National Park Authority.
“This artwork is a collective collaboration with and for the public and symbolises our deep and lasting relationship with nature. The original tree may be gone in the form we knew it, but its legacy remains, and what has come since has been endlessly positive, affirming our belief that people, nature and place cannot be separated and are interdependent.”
A home chosen with care
The decision to bring the tree to The Sill came from the people. The National Trust, which gifted the tree to the National Park, recognised the importance of keeping it close to its original site. In consultation, the public made clear - the tree should remain accessible, and part of the landscape it once graced.
Sarah Pemberton, Assistant Director of Operations (North East) National Trust said: “The loss of the Sycamore Gap tree and the subsequent outpouring of stories illustrating people’s emotional attachment to the tree, demonstrates the powerful connection between people and our natural heritage.
“We’re focussed on honouring that connection and creating a positive legacy for the tree, and we’re delighted to have worked with Northumberland National Park Authority to help bring this section of the tree home, giving people an opportunity to remember and reconnect with this beloved landmark.
“Later this year, the first of the 49 'Trees of Hope' grown from the original sycamore will be planted in communities across the UK, enabling many more people to feel part of the iconic tree’s legacy.”
Looking to the future
The National Trust launched ‘Trees of Hope’ in 2024 as an opportunity for people to request one of 49 Sycamore Gap saplings to be gifted to their communities around the UK- one to represent each foot of the height that the tree was at the time of felling.
The new homes for the saplings will all be in publicly accessible spaces, enabling many more people to feel part of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree’s legacy with recipients from all across the UK including The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease in Leeds, Holly’s Hope in conjunction with Hexham Abbey in Northumberland and The Tree Sanctuary and Tree Amigos in Coventry.
Nearly 500 applications were received for the 49 saplings, which are currently being cared for by the conservation charity’s Plant Conservation Centre. The saplings will begin being planted later this year, starting in late autumn and through winter.
Community support
The artistic commission was funded by Community Foundation North East.
The foundation provided £50,000 for the project, including from the North East Roots Fund, which enables people living elsewhere to give back to the region. The Linden Family, Michael and Christine Heppell and Duncan and Sarah Davidson funds at the Community Foundation are also contributing alongside a dedicated gift from Nadara.
Rob Williamson, CEO, Community Foundation North East says:
“Nearly two years ago, when I approached the National Park to see how Community Foundation North East could help celebrate the Sycamore Gap tree, we didn’t know what shape that celebration might take. Now we know and what a celebration it is.
“Artist Charlie Whinney and Creative Communities have created a fitting and beautiful permanent display remembering the tree. Community Foundation donors treasure the North East and its environment. I know they will be thrilled to see the part their gifts have played in allowing us to fully fund this legacy so visitors now and in the future will be able to celebrate this North East icon.”
Opening to the public
The exhibit is being unveiled today at a private event for funders on Thursday 10 July, featuring performances by local schoolchildren from The Sele First School and Henshaw C of E Primary School and musicians, Katharine Davidson and Nathan Armstrong. It opens to the public on Friday 11 July at 10am at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre.
Over opening weekend (12-13 July), visitors can enjoy the exhibition then take a walk to the original site, where new growth continues to emerge, after it was first spotted with much joy and excitement last August.
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