A small memorial plaque in memory of "Nick White" from his "Aussie mates" has been found stuck to stonework on Hadrian's Wall. The famous wall, 84 miles long stretching from Tyneside to Bowness in Cumbria, is a World Heritage Site and a scheduled monument, making it a very protected site. It is therefore illegal to deface or damage the wall.
The plaque was found by local resident John Thirlaway who had gone to the wall to photograph the infamous sycamore tree that has grown in a valley amongst the wall stones and which has appeared in such films as Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. He then noticed something catching the sun and thought it was waste that had been left, so walked over to remove it. He said, "When I went over I saw this plaque glued onto the wall. I just couldn't believe someone had done this, and no-one had removed it."
However, the National Trust now has to find a way of removing the plaque without damaging the protected stone, and are currently consulting with English Heritage to find the best way to remove the plaque without causing further damage. Andrew Poad, who looks after Hadrian's Wall properties for the National Trust, said, "What we do not want to do is commit another criminal offence by damaging the stonework by removing it."
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