Climate change is damaging capital's trees, experts warn London Assembly
'It's an amazing thing for me as a 'tree person' to start seeing that shift, and things like the Sycamore Gap have definitely brought that to the forefront, but I do think we need to keep pushing on with that and don't let it go out of the public eye, because as soon as that news story stops, it will all be forgotten about again.'
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The Herald Scotland
26-05-2025
- The Herald Scotland
The Argyle Street Gap – what does it say about Glasgow?
The site right on the corner, where the police station once stood, is a typical example. The station, an ugly concrete thing, was in use until 2018 but it was sold to developers who pulled it down and now plan to put up a six-storey block of flats, with 62 flats above and six retail units below. I've seen the designs and it's meh. Nothing about it reflects the look and feel of the city or is particularly Glasgow; it's the sort of building that could be anywhere and everywhere and is. But it gets worse, because at the front of the site is all that remains of the old hornbeam tree that once stood by the police station. There aren't a lot of trees in Anderston and Finnieston – this part of the Dear Green Place is not its greenest – but the hornbeam was one of the most noticeable and finest survivors. The best estimate is that it and me were about the same age (50 plus) and it did what trees do in cities: softened the edges, offered shade from the sun and shelter from the rain, and attracted the loyalty of the locals. If you doubt the loyalty we can feel to trees, remember the protests and arrests in Sheffield when the council started felling thousands of trees as part of its 'street improvement'. And remember Plymouth where there was opposition to the destruction of 100 trees in the city centre and the council sneaked in overnight and chopped them down anyway. And remember the horror and upset people felt when the Sycamore Gap tree on Hadrian's Wall was chain-sawed; that one was personal, that one really hurt. The reason we feel this way is that trees are often the only green in the place where we live and so start to take on a kind of personality. The Hadrian's Wall sycamore was one of the A-listers – star of posters, postcards and movies – which was why its destruction was particularly shocking, but the folk who live near the Finnieston hornbeam felt the same way about their tree. All that's left now though, after the developers cut it down the other day, is a stump and a gap on Argyle Street where it used to be – a gap that raises questions about what the city is doing to its trees. To be fair to the council, it has addressed the issue of trees to some extent and in 2024 adopted a strategy which aims to increase the number of trees in the city over the next ten years. They've also made a start here and there, planting some 20,000 trees including on the Cathkin Braes in Castlemilk, Tollcross Park and other places. The locations are good choices because we know it's the most deprived parts of the city that have the least trees and we know it's why we started to hear that most terrible of all newspaper cliches: leafy suburbs. Read more MARK SMITH The TV channel that saved us, and heralds the change to come Mark Smith: Eurovision 2025: the year they fixed their Israel problem But what's happened on Argyle Street, at the site of the old police station, highlights what else needs to change. I don't want to exaggerate the importance of one tree – it's outnumbered by all the others that have been planted in the city – but mature trees in particular matter. They help combat air pollution, they help reduce the impact of rain and floods, a real issue in Glasgow, and they help reduce the 'Urban Heat Island' effect: they cool the city down effectively. As the Finnieston hornbeam demonstrated, they also become part of the shape and feel of a community; we start to love them. But what tends to happen is that developers apply to cut down mature trees that are in their way and, as a sop, promise to plant saplings, which is exactly what's happened with the Finnieston development. The developers have said they might plant five saplings along Argyle Street but they've also said it's subject to agreement with the roads authority and final approval so I'll believe it when I see it. The saplings which developers plant also tend to be much smaller, easier-to-control species so even when they're fully grown, they are no replacement for much bigger, more mature trees. Why this happens is that mature trees are a pain in the butt for developers who just want to get their buildings up fast and cheap. The roots of mature trees can cause a problem with pipework and other infrastructure so it needs careful planning to build round them, which costs money. Easier and cheaper to chop the old trees down: problem solved and no extra cost. The tree before it was taken down (Image: Free) But Glasgow could learn a thing or two from Bristol for example where the planning policy directs that buildings should work around existing mature trees. A more enlightened planning policy would also require developers who've made the case for a tree to be removed to move it to another site, or allow time for cuttings to be taken. Some of the locals in Finnieston wanted to do this with their hornbeam, but it doesn't look like it happened. The developers and builders who are desperate to get rid of old trees should also think about this: yes, it might cost more and yes, mature trees will require more maintenance and attention. But retaining old trees can enhance the value of the end product. Basically, people will pay more to live in a pleasant place that's surrounded by mature trees. In other words, trees can boost your profit rather than dent it. It's all too late for the Finnieston hornbeam of course; all that's left of it is a stump in front of a pile of rubble. But there is still time for the council to look again at its tree strategy and consider not just new trees but the old ones too. There's nothing quite as sad, I think, as the sight of what's left of a tree that's taken 50, 100, or 150 years to grow. It's what made the destruction of the Hadrian's Wall sycamore so savage and so brutal, and on a corner of Argyle Street and Finnieston Street you can see and feel the same thing. Let's try and learn from it then. Let's try and do it differently next time.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- BBC News
Meet the man who sketched the Sycamore Gap trial
The trial of two men who chopped down the much-loved and world famous Sycamore Gap tree garnered global attention. With cameras not allowed in court, Nick Lewis's sketches of proceedings were used by many media, including the BBC. How did he do it? The two-week trial that gripped the nation was Nick's first foray into the law became a regular visitor to courtroom one at Newcastle Crown Court as prosecutors proved Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers illegally felled the sycamore tree that had stood in a dip on Hadrian's Wall for more than 100 sketches the 50-year-old made of the defendants in the dock, barristers and judge quickly became invaluable to journalists reporting on the trial and for the vast majority of the public was the first time they had seen the accused pair's faces."It was fascinating," Nick, a senior lecturer in illustration at the University of Sunderland, says. Under strictly enforced rules, people are not permitted to take photographs in courts, to do so can and has led to provide illustration for articles and news reports, sketch artists are often deployed, but they are not actually allowed to make their drawings in the have to dash out of the building and rely on their memory to produce their work for the baying media mobs. "In a world where everything is photographed, it's very rare that you have a situation where you can only rely on a drawing," Nick says."In the world of news that is instant and visual all the time, it makes it very challenging and interesting."Nick illustrated the case since the very earliest hearings, making him one of the first to capture a likeness of Carruthers, who like Graham, attended early proceedings wearing a mask totally obscuring his face. "It was very difficult, there was nobody who had any pictures online of him at the time, so I had to draw him without any references," Nick says of on the press benches, Nick made notes about people's features, recording details such as overbites and cheekbones, any similarities to celebrities perhaps, before leaving court and heading to a nearby cafe or library where he could draw in started with a quick sketch, using pencil and paper, before moving to his iPad, with each work taking about an hour and a half to produce."At first it was nerve-wracking, I wasn't sure what the procedures were, but the court staff were so helpful so by the end of the case, I got used to it," he says. He had always had an interest in court art and wanted to see if it was something he was actually able to chose the Sycamore Gap trial because it had huge public interest."Everyone I spoke to was horrified about what happened to the tree."But, while not downplaying the seriousness of it, there were no victims or grieving families for Nick to have to think from the drama of the trial itself, Nick also got to experience the court process."It was fascinating seeing the level of rigour and the way people are treated by the staff, who were courteous and having to manage all the parties going in and out," Nick says. The barristers in their black gowns and wigs were also of interest to Nick, the decorum and court behaviours they demonstrated being a big departure from the outside world."When I first started they all looked like the [late] Queen in my drawings," he says. "It took me a few goes before I realised what I was doing wrong."Although they all wear wigs they wear them differently, some down over their forehead, others pushed back, and recognising that made the difference." There are responsibilities to covering court though, Nick says. "You have to be mindful that having to go to court is a pivotal point of someone's life."You have to make sure you are doing something in the public interest without making theatre of it."He attended most days of the trial and was constantly revisiting early sketches, easily done on the iPad, to make were technical issues, his stylus pen stopped working and his iPad ran out of battery, while trying to capture a person's likeness is "incredibly difficult", Nick says. Especially, he adds, if you are doing it from notes and memory and, if there are any reference photos of them, they are probably from different angles than the one you want."Sometimes the more you draw someone, the worse it gets," he says. "But you can endlessly tweak on an iPad."One of the biggest problems is just leaving it alone."He is also conscious that these are real subjects, adding: "I don't want people seeing drawings of themselves and thinking I made them look awful or 'too old'." Now Nick is hoping his dalliance with court artistry will inspire other budding artists among his course is already brimming with all kinds of illustrations, from the medical industry to computer games, and he can now add crime and court art to his is also looking forward to returning to court in the future to sketch more trials, lecture schedule allowing. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas here.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- BBC News
Sycamore Gap tree: The story so far
Two men have been convicted of chopping down the Sycamore Gap tree, which once stood in a dip next to Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland. It was an incredibly popular landmark, what happened to it and why was it so beloved? What was the Sycamore Gap tree? Quite simply it was a single sycamore tree growing in a natural dip in the countryside along Hadrian's Wall, close to the village of Once National Trust, which looks after the site with the Northumberland National Park Authority, said it was planted in the late 1800s by previous landowner John Clayton to be a "feature in the landscape". While a popular spot for walkers and photographers due to its unusual setting, it became famous after featuring in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner. Afterwards, it gained the nickname the Robin Hood Tree - although in reality it was some 170 miles (273 km) from Sherwood Newman, whose character Wulf hides in the tree and is rescued by the eponymous hero, told the BBC it was the first scene he filmed on his very first day on set. The film's director Kevin Reynolds said it was "one of the most quintessentially idyllic spots in the world and now it's gone, it's murdered, and for what reason?"Podcast: The Sycamore Gap story - It's not just a treeThe Northumberland National Park Authority said the site was its "most-photographed spot", and in late 2016 it was crowned English Tree of the Year in the Woodland Trust's was also the scene of marriage proposals, sentimental moments and the scattering of ashes. Author LJ Ross, whose second novel was named after the tree, said many creatives "felt inspired" by was also a focal point along the 84-mile (135km) Hadrian's Wall route between Wallsend in North Tyneside and Bowness-on-Solway, Cumbria. What happened to the tree? On the morning of 28 September 2023, news spread that the tree had been chopped down overnight.A police investigation was launched and forensics officers were sent to take measurements and samples from the was heard saying: "In 31 years of forensics I've never examined a tree."On 30 April 2024, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers from Cumbria were charged with criminal damage of the tree and criminal damage to Hadrian's Wall. Both denied the charges but were found guilty after a high profile trial at Newcastle Crown Court in 39, and Carruthers, 32, filmed the felling on a mobile phone and took a wedge of the tree's trunk away as a are due to be sentenced in July. Why and how did they do it? Because both men denied their involvement, no definitive explanation has been offered for why they did said it was a "moronic mission" and the pair thought it would be a "bit of a laugh".Graham claimed Carruthers was fascinated with the tree and had previously discussed chopping it down, but Carruthers denied that with his legal team saying Graham was trying to make a "scapegoat" of his co-accused. What is known is that shortly before midnight on 27 September 2023, the pair drove to the site from their homes in the Carlisle area in Graham's Range Rover, parked at Steel Rigg car park and made a 20 minute walk to the was a windy night with Storm Agnes blowing through, and the heavy gusts would have helped the men ensure the tree fell northwards, across the Roman wall the use of a chainsaw, they used a so-called hinge and wedge technique with the felling taking just minutes to complete. They then took a wedge of the trunk home as a trophy and over the following days revelled in the global outrage caused by their mindless can see our live coverage of week one of the trial here and week two is some dispute over the value of the tree, which prosecutors said was between £450,000 and £622,000 but the men's barristers said was far cost of repairing two stones on the wall was put at £1,144. How did people react at the time? The toppling of the tree led to an outpouring of anger and then Hexham Conservative MP Guy Opperman said people he had spoken to were "utterly stunned" and "devastated" at the described the sycamore as a "symbol of the North East". Hairy Biker Si King, who grew up in County Durham, posted on social media that a "sentinel of time and elemental spirit of Northumberland" had been "murdered".People were also keen to share their memories of the tree and why it was so special to them. Alice Whysall, from Brampton, Cumbria, believed she may have taken the final photograph of the tree the previous evening, as she stopped there in the rain while on a said it was "such an emotional thing to have seen it in its final hours". The outpouring of emotion led to impromptu poems about its untimely end and photographs from every angle, and every season, were was "a place where truly one could be set free," wrote Harriet Robinson. What is happening with the tree? The trunk of the tree was removed on 12 October it was so big it was cut into large pieces so it could be taken away by crane. The National Trust has been able to grow saplings from the tree which are being given out to 49 charities and organisations across the UK, one for each foot of the tree's eight new shoots have emerged from the stump, raising hopes that the original tree will will take up to three years before experts know if this is possible, the trust Trust manager Andrew Poad said the stump was "healthy" and they might be able to coppice the tree, where new shoots grow from the trunk's base, but it could take up to 200 years to get back to what it once was.A sapling which was planted nearby in a bid to restore "hope" was removed as the site has Unesco World Heritage status. Plans were also announced to put the largest section of tree on public display at The Sill, a visitor attraction near the site, in September prints were created from a cross-section of the heart-shaped trunk. People were keen to lend a helping hand.A fundraising site was set up, with more than £4,000 donated to help to "improve and rejuvenate" the area around the National Trust advised people to "treat the stump with respect" and encouraged people to share their ideas. There were also suggestions about what to do with the remaining wood. The High Sheriff of Northumberland, Diana Barkes, suggested something could be created from it "for people to come and remember the tree and remember their loved ones".Thousands of ideas have been sent to officials, including turning the trunk into benches or other projects are benefiting from the loss. In North Yorkshire, artist Lucy Pittaway, who painted the Sycamore Gap tree, planted trees at the Swinton Estate for every print copy she sells, hoping a new woodland will revive the area. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas here.
