An ancient oak tree believed to be around 450 years old has been illegally felled by the owners of a nearby Toby Carvery restaurant.
The tree was discovered cut back to its stump in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, after being felled on April 3. The oak, at 6.1 metres wide, was one of London's oldest and largest trees.
The oak was situated next to a car park on land leased by Enfield Council to Mitchells & Butlers, the pub company that owns the Toby Carvery.
Experts consider it more ecologically significant than the Sycamore Gap tree that was felled in Northumberland in 2023.
The tree before and after felling
WOODLAND TRUST
Oak trees can live up to 1,000 years and support more native wildlife than any other tree, making them crucial for biodiversity.
Mitchells & Butlers claimed they had a legal right to fell the tree, which was not covered by a tree protection order.
A spokesman for the company told The Telegraph they had employed an expert who declared the tree dead and said it needed to be removed for safety reasons.
However, Jack Taylor from the Woodland Trust contradicted this claim, stating: "The tree is not dead. It's an ancient tree so it's in the later stages of its life but it's in good condition."
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Enfield Council said it had not been made aware of the felling until last week and was treating the incident as criminal damage.
The council has reported the matter to the Metropolitan Police.
"We have now placed a legal protection on the tree and are looking at ways to help it grow back," said council leader Ergin Erbil.
The oak stump is now subject to an emergency tree preservation order.
Dr Ed Pyne, senior conservation adviser at the Woodland Trust, called it "the most shocking fell I think I've ever seen in more than a decade working with ancient trees."
"In my view, and the view of many others, this is ecologically much more significant than the Sycamore Gap and certainly a more irreplaceable tree," he added.
The Woodland Trust described the destruction as "devastating".
Adam Cormack from the Woodland Trust noted the tree's historical significance, saying: "Latest estimates put the tree at about 450 years old so the tree would have been alive when Guy Fawkes and others came and went in the months leading up to November 5, 1605."
The Woodland Trust described the destruction as 'devastating'
WOODLAND TRUST
An earlier building on the same site as the Toby Carvery is believed to have been used as a safe house during the Gunpowder Plot.
Ed Allnut, secretary of the local Guardians of Whitewebbs group, expressed the community's outrage: "The tree belonged to Enfield and to our national heritage. I am personally devastated."
Local residents want justice for the felled oak.
"We want answers, and we want guarantees the other trees here are being protected properly," Allnut added.
The hacked remnants of the stump are now surrounded by tape, resembling a crime scene.
