#364: Sycamore Gap: a GA resource

A new(ish) resource which can be accessed and used by members of the Geographical Association. I am considering adding a section of this to my teaching this year.

Sycamore Gap is a significant landmark in Northumberland where three distinct features combined: a natural and dramatic dip in the physical landscape about halfway along the 80-mile run of Hadrian’s Wall, itself an ancient monument and reminder of the power of the Roman Empire, and until recently, a lone, 300-year-old Sycamore tree. The site has UNESCO designation and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Arguably, it will still be known as Sycamore Gap because of its story.

The tree has stood for hundreds of years, perfectly framed by the landscape, thrilling locals and visitors alike until it was deliberately cut down, under cover of darkness, sometime between the evening of 27 September 2023 and the following morning. 

The loss of the tree has caused an outcry and reaction of public grief.

These materials are designed to help children think about some of the issues this story raises. What do they know about Sycamore Gap? Where is it? Have they been there? Why and how do certain landmarks hold such meaning? What is the cultural impact of this and other significant landmarks on our lives? Whose place is this? Who decides what happens here?

While these materials provide a relevant and current context for developing geographical substantive, disciplinary and procedural knowledge, they also model how you might investigate other landmarks with particular significance to your own local community and landscape and the emotions they engender in people.

Complete Materials:PowerPoint
Teachers Notes
Photo Activity
Individual Resource Pages:

Sycamore Gap 1: What’s the geography story?
Sycamore Gap 2: What can images and maps tell us about landmarks?
Sycamore Gap 3: Why can we see so many stars?
Sycamore Gap 4: Changing views
Sycamore Gap 5: How do we feel about it?
Sycamore Gap 6: A Gap in the landscape
Sycamore Gap 7: Why should we value trees?
Sycamore Gap 8: What would be your ‘tree of the year’?
Sycamore Gap 9: Change
Sycamore Gap 10: How do we fill the Gap?


Thanks to Steve Rawlinson, Tessa Willy, Sharon Witt and Margaret Mackintosh for feedback, edits and ideas.

#106: Sycamore Gap tree felled

A few days ago, I saw a tweet from Robert MacFarlane which was rather shocking: the iconic sycamore tree in the 'Sycamore Gap' along Hadrian's Wall had been deliberately felled  the previous night by someone / a group of people with a chainsaw. A big one at that given the size of the tree...

Sick to the core to see this.
A tree known & loved by millions.
Stories, memories, histories, lives, all entwined with it.
100s of years of patient growth, felled in a few minutes, the day the State of Nature report is published.
War waged on nature by individuals & government. https://t.co/F9Gq7hBkqo

— Robert Macfarlane (@RobGMacfarlane) September 28, 2023

 I really cannot understand why this might have been done.

Others do have some theories, particularly if you look at the quality of the cut and the circumstances under which the act took place... see below

The tree was special to many people in many different ways. It sits in a dramatic location where the wall dips down after a steep cliffed section of the Whin Sill. The tree had stood there for around three hundred years.

One thing to note is that sycamore trees can regenerate with new growth from a stump.

Image: Claire Kyndt

The Guardian shared some pictures of the tree in a feature here.

Personally find it unlikely a 16 year- old would bother to do this in a storm for a prank, let alone mark a saw cut with white paint #SycamoreGap pic.twitter.com/M1rDdJjYYH

— Dr Jonathan Foyle  (@JonathanFoyle) September 28, 2023

Update 

A new piece from Robert.

I spoke about the need to understand the Sycamore Gap tree’s slaughter in context of the wider “hostile environment” towards the natural world in the UK.
And also about how the best way to mourn the loss of this tree is to grow a forest. https://t.co/iLkq7CWbVP

— Robert Macfarlane (@RobGMacfarlane) September 29, 2023

It's possible that the story of the tree may form part of some sort of material for the draft specification - perhaps an image on the front cover, or as a reminder of the way that some trees and nature gain additional significance for people. 

Updated October 12th 

Preparations are underway to remove the tree at Sycamore Gap tomorrow. The 50-foot tree had stood for almost 200 years until it was felled in an act of vandalism two weeks ago - it will now be carefully moved by crane and taken to a property in our care, to be safely stored. 1/5 pic.twitter.com/zal78fEd3O

— National Trust in the North (@NT_TheNorth) October 11, 2023