The People's Tree: Winner of Sycamore Gap tree artwork competition announced

The winner of a competition to turn wood from the illegally-felled Sycamore Gap tree into an artwork has been announced following a public vote.

Helix Arts and George King Architects won the contest, which aims to shape the tree's next chapter by using half of its timber, the National Trust said on Saturday.

The arts charity and architects studio, based in North Shields and London respectively, worked together on a design named "The People's Tree".

The proposal combines public participation, sound, architecture and storytelling to respond to the loss of the world-famous tree.

The tree, thought to have been planted in the late 1880s, was felled in 2023 during Storm Agnes.

Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, who were from Cumbria, had travelled to Northumberland, where one of them cut down the sycamore overnight and the other filmed it.

Both men were convicted of criminal damage and jailed for four years and three months last year following the act of vandalism, which sparked national outrage and an outpouring of grief for the widely-loved landmark.

The winning proposal, to be completed in September 2027, scored highest across the public vote and a final decision by a panel of expert judges, the trust said.

Members of the public will have the chance to reflect on their own relationships with trees and nature through sound and spoken word recordings while the artists create a digital soundtrack by scanning the tree's rings.

The final compilation of stories and audio will then be presented through a series of exhibitions and workshops held to the north, south, east and west of Sycamore Gap.

Sections of some of the seasoned wood will also be used to co-create artworks with communities and local artists.

It will culminate in a "sound sculpture" - an artwork that includes some of its wood as well as the archive of stories and nature sounds, which will be placed in an accessible location along Hadrian's Wall.

Cheryl Gavin, director at Helix Arts, said the project is driven by a belief that "the legacy of the Sycamore Gap tree lives not only in its wood, but in the relationships, memories and moments of connection it sparked".

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George King, from George King Architects, said "the tree as it was can never be replaced, but what we can do is create a place for reflection and connections".

The National Trust's Annie Reilly, who led the judging panel, said the idea "puts a real conversation between people and the tree at its heart.

"It doesn't try to give one answer to loss. Instead, it invites people to listen, reflect and reconnect - with nature and with each other."

The main section of the tree's trunk has already been installed at the gateway to Northumberland National Park, where the tree once stood.

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