How shopkeepers near Sycamore Gap are cashing in

by · Mail Online

Shopkeepers near the Sycamore Gap tree have been cashing in by selling merchandise one year after the landmark was chopped down. 

The 200-year-old tree was felled next to Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland last September in a move which shocked and upset the nation. 

Daniel Graham, 38, and Adam Carruthers, 31, both from Cumbria, were arrested in October and have been charged with criminal damage. 

Down the road from what is now a tree stump, shopkeepers are selling merchandise in memory of the fallen tree. 

At the Sill visitor centre, the gift shop is selling Sycamore Gap prints for £19, mugs for £12 and coasters for £5. 

The Sycamore Gap tree was chopped down next to Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland last September
Earrings made from seeds from the Sycamore Gap tree are on sale for £135
Necklaces adorned with a print of the Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland are also on sale
Locals and tourists can also buy prints (pictured), mugs, coasters, cards and tiles, among other items 

Lucy Hull, who runs the independent shop For the Love of the North in Whitley Bay, told The Sunday Times that the Christmas tree decoration was the most popular Sycamore Gap themed item among customers last year. 

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This year the shop is offering a new 'Winter at Sycamore Gap' range, which includes glass coasters, cards, posters, mugs and ceramic tiles. 

Meanwhile, jewellery-maker Kirsty Taylor, from Corbridge in Northumberland, makes luxury pieces from seeds she collected when the tree was still standing. 

Casting the seeds in silver and gold, Ms Taylor sells necklaces for £390, bracelets fpr £86 and earrings for £135, among other items. 

The Sycamore Gap tree, which appeared in Kevin Costner's 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, was one of the most photographed trees in the world.

People would visit the tree to get engaged, scatter the ashes of loved ones or say a prayer while suffering from cancer. 

Daniel Graham, 38, was arrested in October and has been charged with criminal damage 
Walkers stop to look at the tree next to Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland after it was cut down in September last year
The iconic tree was cut down last September in a move which shocked and upset the nation 

The felling of the beloved tree caused a public outcry and headlines across the world.  

After the tree was chopped down, workers from the National Trust and the Northumberland National Park Authority were able to recover young seeds from the site.

Conservationists have since confirmed that the saplings are beginning to show shoots of life while they are kept at a secret location.