National Trust to make complete replica of felled Sycamore Gap tree …

The National Trust have created a 3D scan of Northumberland's ^[1] famous Sycamore Gap tree ^[2] which was felled last month, in a bid to produce an exact replica to stand in its place. It takes inspiration from the historic site of Palmyra in Syria - which was destroyed by an Isis attack in 2015 - where visitors' images were used to recreate some of the key parts of the ancient city.

Then a 3D replica of the Triumphal Arch of the 2nd Century BC Temple of Bel was displayed in Trafalgar Square - after the original was reduced to rubble. A replica of the 50ft Sycamore Gap tree could be made after a public consultation, with the help of heritage groups and experts.

The National Trust will also consider the idea of giving parts of the trunk to artists, craftspeople, and even schoolchildren for a Sycamore Gap exhibition. This would be similar to the One Oak project dating back to 2012 which saw a single tree from the Blenheim Palace estate, Oxfordshire, given to a wide range of people with their work being put on display.

The Mirror reports ^[3] that Trust bosses have been inundated with ideas for the Sycamore since it was felled on September 27 by vandals. Andrew Poad - who is the general manager for Hadrian's Wall - said that it was being kept in a secret location to stop trophy hunters from stealing parts of it.

Speaking to the publication, he said: "We now have a 3D scan of the tree. Palmyra in Syria was blown up by Isis. Everyone who had visited the site down the years was asked to send in their photos, and they created a 3D model of it.

"As our model of the tree is digital, you can do a million and one different things with it, and we will be working with academic partners like universities who can help us."

The One Oak project saw items made from the tree put on display in Edinburgh, with a similar option for the Sycamore at Hadrian's Wall.

References

^{^} Northumberland's (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
^{^} Sycamore Gap tree (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
^{^} The Mirror reports (www.mirror.co.uk)