43
Many were shocked by the mindless act of vandalism when the iconic tree at Sycamore Gap was cut down in 2023. The tree had become an iconic symbol to many of the Northumbrian landscape, standing proud in a picturesque dip between two steep sections of Hadrian’s Wall. The three-hundred-year-old tree had been a constant on the landscape, witnessing two world wars, seen and loved by generations of hillwalkers and nature lovers for whom this act has left a void.
The tree was felled in October 2023, the month after Northumbrian piper, composer, performer, educator, and recording artist Kathryn Tickell and her band, The Darkening, released Cloud Horizons. As Kathryn revealed in our 2023 interview, Hadrian’s Wall is very significant to her and was the totem for that project.
“I’ve always tended to look at tunes from within the last 200 years, but with The Darkening, I’ve made a conscious decision to go further back. The whole point when we first started the band was to go back to Hadrian’s Wall, and it was the Roman wall that really sparked it off – that was my totem.
“When you live in the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall, it’s so present everywhere you go, not just in the wild landscapes, but driving into Newcastle, right down the west Road, Hadrian’s Wall…”
Kathryn has just released her new single, Sycamore Gap, in honour of the tree. She has revealed that the tune will also be on the forthcoming album ‘Return to Kielderside‘, but this is a different, less traditional mix incorporating field recordings from around Hadrian’s Wall.
Talking about the Sycamore Gap, Kathryn says: “It all started nearly a year ago when I woke up to an avalanche of messages. The news of the Sycamore Gap tree being cut down had spread like wildfire and everyone was in shock. People started asking me if I was going to write a tune for the tree, and I realised that this was something I could do to honour its memory.”
Her website shares that Initially, Kathryn contemplated writing a more uplifting piece, reflecting the regenerative nature of sycamore seedlings that often sprout everywhere. However, as she delved deeper into the creative process, it became clear that a lament was the most fitting tribute. “The lament was the piece that wanted to be written.” While Kathryn admits the release wasn’t strategically planned far in advance, the timing coincides meaningfully with the anniversary of the tree’s felling.
Alongside Kathryn’s Northumbrian pipes, the track features Ian Stephenson on Pipe organ. The Hadrian’s Wall curlews and other sounds were recorded by Merlyn Driver and Joe Truswell.
Live Dates
Sep 26 Brewery Arts Centre – Malt Room, Kendal, UK
Sep 27 Allendale Village Hall, Allendale, UK
Sep 29 The Oxford Playhouse, Oxford, UK
Sep 30 Exeter Phoenix, Exeter, UK
Oct 1 Lighthouse, Poole, UK
Oct 2 Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-on-Avon, UK
Oct 4 Hartlepool Folk Festival, Hartlepool, UK
Oct 4 Corn Hall, Diss, UK
Oct 5 Blackheath Halls, London, UK
