The site and the tree, known as Sycamore Gap, are a symbol of the entire area and a spectacular tourist attraction in the north of England.
The tree became world famous through the film Robin Hood – but on Thursday morning it was cut down, reports BBC.
Now the British police have arrested a 16-year-old boy suspected of the illegal killing.
It was one of the world’s most famous trees and now the police are investigating what they call a case of vandalism. The tree stood next to Hadrian’s Wall which was built by the Romans at the place called Sycamore Gap.
But the large maple was also called the Robin Hood tree, after it appeared in several scenes in the 1991 movie Robin Hood starring Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman.
“I was in despair”
It has been called Britain’s most photographed and loved tree – and photographer Ian Sproat reacted strongly when he saw the devastation.
– My heart was ripped out of my body, he says.
As soon as he heard about the vandalism, he got into the car and drove out to the scene.
– I became desperate, then came the anger and now sadness. It’s a living thing, I ask myself all the time: why would someone do this?, he says.
Local police officer Kim McGuinness said she was “outraged that this appears to be deliberate vandalism”.
– I am devastated that the famous tree is gone, she says.