'Reset the clock': sadness and hope as felled Sycamore Gap tree is removed

Some saw the day as a chance to say farewell. One person described the event as a "full stop" to the saga.

- Mark Brown

But as the criminally felled, world famous Sycamore Gap tree was carefully removed from its home on Hadrian's Wall yesterday, people also spoke of hope, optimism and rebirth.

"The irony of this criminal act is that we've reset the clock on this tree now," said Andrew Poad, the National Trust general manager of the site. "In forestry terms it has been coppiced and it will regrow."

A crane from Manchester arrived yesterday morning for the challenging job of removing the tree. After days of withering winds, rain and gloomy skies this beautiful part of rural Northumberland enjoyed warm sun, blue skies and barely a breeze.

Poad regarded the day as a funeral, but also as "the point where we can draw a line under what has happened and start thinking about the future".

The Sycamore Gap tree on Hadrian's Wall was regarded by many as an integral part of north-east England. Its felling two weeks ago prompted an outpouring of distress and fury at the pointlessness of the vandalism.

Throughout yesterday a team worked with chainsaws to cut the tree into manageable sections which could be transported to a lorry.