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King to plant sapling from Sycamore Gap tree in
Windsor Great Park
National Trust gives first successful seedling from
illegally felled Northumberland tree to King Charles
Caroline
Davies
Mon 27 May
2024 08.18 EDT
The first
successful seedling nurtured from seeds collected from the 200-year-old
Sycamore Gap tree, which was illegally felled, will be planted in Windsor Great
Park after being given to King Charles by the National Trust.
The king
intends that the seedling, presented as a gift on the last bank holiday Monday
in May, known as Celebration Day, when we remember those no longer with us,
will be planted when it has matured into a sapling for visitors to the park to
enjoy it as a symbol that hope and beauty can come from loss, the charity said.
The
15-metre tree, a much-loved feature of Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, was
cut down in September.
The king,
who is patron of the conservation charity, is the first recipient of a
seedling, one of 100 seeds and 40 cuttings successfully propagated from the
tree by experts at the National Trust’s Plant Conservation Centre. The National
Trust will announce planting plans for the other seedlings and cuttings late
this year.
The first
Sycamore Gap seedling successfully propagated from the tree. Photograph: Emma
McNamara
The famous
sycamore was named England’s tree of the year in 2016. It featured in the 1991
film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and was a popular site for stargazing and
marriage proposals.
The hope is
that, once the sapling has established and grown, in time the wind will help
ensure its seeds are even more widely distributed – rooted in the past,
flourishing in the present and carried into the future, the charity said.
Hilary
McGrady, the director general of the National Trust, said: “It is wonderful
news that His Majesty will one day have the very first sapling grown from this
iconic tree. The new tree will be seen by many thousands each year and will be
the first of many Sycamore Gap saplings planted at different places, in
Northumberland and beyond.
“The swell
of emotion we saw after the sycamore was felled goes to show how personally
connected we all are to our natural heritage. These new green shoots are
keeping the story of the Sycamore Gap alive, and are serving as a reminder of
the simple and much-needed hope, joy and respite that nature can bring.”
The public
received its first glimpse of a Sycamore Gap seedling in the National Trust
show garden at the Chelsea flower show last week, where it was placed in a
garden inspired by the charity’s founder, Octavia Hill, with the aim of
reflecting how everyone needs access to nature, beauty and gardens.
Two people
have appeared in court charged with criminal damage for allegedly cutting down
the tree.
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