Game of Thrones: Safety team on site to cut down six Dark Hedges trees

Crews have arrived on site to cut down six trees which form part of the Dark Hedges, due to fears some of the ageing trees pose a safety risk to road users.

The tunnel of ancient beech trees outside Armoy, County Antrim, shot to international fame when it appeared in the US TV drama Game of Thrones.

Originally there were about 150 trees but due to age and damage from several storms, only 86 are still standing.

The felling plan follows a specialist survey which identified at-risk trees.

The survey was commissioned by Stormont's Department for Infrastructure which stressed that the decision to fell the six trees "has not been made lightly".

In a statement, a spokesperson for the department said that "whilst the amenity value afforded by the corridor of trees is acknowledged, the safety of road users is paramount".  

The Dark Hedges became a popular tourist attraction after the site was used to represent the Kingsroad in Game of Thrones.

The trees appeared on screen in the first episode of the second season of HBO's epic fantasy series, albeit very briefly.

Fans of the series flocked to the site to take photos of the tree-lined avenue, often as part of a tour of 25 Game of Thrones set locations around Northern Ireland.

Visitors came in such numbers that a traffic ban was introduced in 2017.

The Dark Hedges stand on privately-owned land but they overhang a public road outside the village.

Safety concerns were raised with the Department for Infrastructure which is responsible for roads.

The department said the independent survey "found that 11 trees, out of a total of 86, along this route are in a poor condition and could pose a potential risk to the public".

It spoke to the landowners and stakeholders but said that "given the urgency of the work required" it had made arrangements to remove six of the 11 damaged trees this week.

The department added it will "continue to engage with landowners and other stakeholders regarding their implementation of a suitable management strategy to protect the future of the other 75 trees".

The Dark Hedges were planted in the 18th Century by the Stuart family who lived in the nearby Georgian mansion, Gracehill House.

Gracehill House was named after James Stuart's wife, Grace Lynd.

The Dark Hedges were intended to provide an impressive tree-lined entrance to their Gracehill estate.

It is believed that most of the beech trees date from about 1775, but some could be even older.

Game of Thrones crews filmed at the site in 2011, broadcasting the first and only scene featuring the Dark Hedges in 2012.

By 2017, the road had become such a popular visitor attraction that traffic was banned from driving along Bregagh Road in order to protect the trees' roots.

But no-one has been able to protect the Dark Hedges from the passage of time nor the ravages of Northern Ireland's winters.

In recent years, several named storms have been responsible for taking down some of the more vulnerable trees.

In 2016, Storm Gertrude ripped up two trees causing them collapse on to the road, and left a third tree badly damaged.

In 2018, more trees fell when Storm Hector brought gales of up to 60mph to Northern Ireland.

In 2021, another two trees were brought down by Storm Arwen.