When England’s beloved Sycamore Gap tree was chopped down almost two years ago in an act of vandalism, only its stump remained. The enormous trunk and branches lay sprawled on the ground.
Now, a nearly seven-foot piece of the trunk will stand upright again, as part of a permanent art exhibition opening to the public on Friday.
Charlie Whinney, the artist, said that his vision for the installation evolved substantially as he interviewed hundreds of people about how dear the tree was to them. It became clear that the memorial needed to allow for people not only to see the trunk, but also to touch it.
“Quite a lot of people mentioned hugging the tree,” he said.
The installation, at The Sill visitor center at Northumberland National Park, about 30 miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne, includes three oak benches positioned around the tree trunk so people can use it as a gathering spot.
The felling of the tree in September 2023 brought an outpouring of grief. In May, Adam Carruthers, 32, and Daniel Graham, 39, were found guilty of chopping down the tree.
Cellphone data, close-circuit television and traffic cameras placed them both at the scene. Both men denied involvement and neither provided an explanation to either the jury or the police about why they might have committed the crime.
One of Britain’s most photographed trees, which stood for some 150 years, the Sycamore Gap was featured in the 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” starring Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman.
But for locals, the sycamore tree held a profound presence — there, for as long as anyone could remember, for picnics, shade and quiet moments of reflection. In the weeks and months after it was felled, visitors wrote short poems dedicated to the tree.
“I treasure memories of walking up that rough, steep path to see this open-armed wonder of a tree, lit by bright blue skies, a patchy shade for sandwiches and a home to so many creatures,” one person wrote in a visitor book at The Sill the day after the tree was felled. “You’ve always been there throughout our lives and before,” wrote another.
Mr. Whinney, a woodworker who is studying regenerative design at Central Saint Martins at the University of the Arts London, incorporated some of the messages into the art installation.
As for the tree stump, about two miles away from the visitor center, new shoots are already growing.
“One day you will be tall again,” one visitor wrote in a tribute.
Jenny Gross is a reporter for The Times covering breaking news and other topics.
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