{"id":2186,"date":"2025-04-15T12:16:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T12:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/?p=2186"},"modified":"2025-04-15T23:08:05","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T23:08:05","slug":"toby-carvery-defends-chopping-down-irreplaceable-400-year-old-oak-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/15\/toby-carvery-defends-chopping-down-irreplaceable-400-year-old-oak-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"Toby Carvery defends chopping down \u2018irreplaceable\u2019 400-year-old oak tree"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"485\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22914368 lazyload\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/softnary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247652888-0e52.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>The ancient oak tree thought to be more than 400 years old has been felled(Picture: Adam Cormack\/Woodland Trust\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The owners of Toby Carvery are under fire after an \u2018irreplaceable\u2019 ancient oak in north <a data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/london\/\">London<\/a> was chopped down.<\/p>\n<p>The tree, which is up to 500 years old, has been reduced to a\u00a0stump.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Enfield Council, which owns the land, has called in the police who are hunting for the culprits.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The tree is on the edge of a Toby Carvery pub car park with chain Mitchells &amp; Butlers leasing the land from the council \u2013 but the company says they were told the tree caused a \u2018serious health and safety risk\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Campaigners have collected a petition demanding a full investigation and the protection of further trees in the area known as Whitewebbs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ed Allnutt from the campaign Guardians of Whitewebbs told <strong>Metro<\/strong>: \u2018We want justice for the oak we have lost.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"485\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22911022 lazyload\" alt=\"Mystery after ?ancient tree? that is hundreds of years old chopped down in London park overnight\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/softnary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247623355-4b57.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Ed Allnutt, 34, a campaigner with the Guardians of Whitewebbs campaign group.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u2018We need a full investigation into his this could have happened. The tree is irreplaceable.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The first we knew was a local posting pictures of a crew bringing the tree down.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We are devastated and apprehensive for the future the park. We are in the dark about how this happened we have photos of vehicles from the scene we need the police to investigate fully.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We need to know who did this and why.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The tree\u2019s value is estimable. These are incredibly rare she can be home to thousands of species. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018It was one of the top 100 ancient oaks in London. It\u2019s an alleged act of vandalism against nature this is very serious.\u2019<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tLatest London news\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/04\/10\/seven-people-taken-hospital-e-bike-fire-rips-tower-block-22882946\/\">11 people taken to hospital after \u2018e-bike fire\u2019 rips through tower block<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/03\/27\/fungus-infected-zombie-spiders-invaded-london-22801577\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/03\/29\/heathrow-airport-face-disruption-easter-strikes-announced-22815826\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/04\/09\/im-a-food-writer-never-heard-this-us-chain-london-22877277\/\">I\u2019m a food writer and I\u2019d never heard of this US chain in London<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/04\/01\/three-killed-car-crashes-bus-sparks-huge-inferno-22826874\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/04\/01\/three-killed-car-crashes-bus-sparks-huge-inferno-22826874\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/04\/08\/inside-plans-revamp-london-liverpool-street-station-22872616\/\">Inside the plans to revamp London Liverpool Street station<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro&#8217;s<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/london\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> London news hub<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"485\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22912336 lazyload\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/softnary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-15-at-11.05.06-7aa0.jpeg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Hayley Pugh, 45, saw the crew chopping down the tree and said they arrived in unmarked vans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Dog walker Hayley Pugh, who saw the crew cutting the tree told <strong>Metro<\/strong>: \u2018There were three blokes with chainsaws and unmarked vans. It\u2019s awful, I\u2019m here every day. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018It\u2019s terrible for the wildlife such a vast and beautiful tree. They were not professional tree surgeons I don\u2019t think.\u2019<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-player\">\n<div class=\"video-player\">\n<div class=\"metro-video-player \" data-track-module=\"video-player\">\n<div class=\"vjs-video-container vjs-fixed vjs-responsive\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{&#8220;@context&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/schema.org&#8221;,&#8221;@type&#8221;:&#8221;VideoObject&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Metro.co.uk&#8221;,&#8221;duration&#8221;:&#8221;T54S&#8221;,&#8221;thumbnailUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/15\/19\/97314735-0-image-a-28_1744742002472.jpg&#8221;,&#8221;uploadDate&#8221;:&#8221;2025-04-15T19:31:14+0100&#8243;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;The ancient oak tree, thought to be more than 400 years old, was felled in north London.&#8221;,&#8221;contentUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2025\/04\/15\/8918025604203301965\/480x270_MP4_8918025604203301965.mp4&#8243;,&#8221;height&#8221;:480,&#8221;width&#8221;:270}<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<video id=\"3415361\" class=\"video-js\" poster=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/15\/19\/97314735-0-image-m-31_1744742007145.jpg\" preload=\"metadata\" playsinline><\/p>\n<p class=\"vjs-no-js\">To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbrowser that<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/videojs.com\/html5-video-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">supports HTML5<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/video>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder-header\">\n<div class=\"metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder-header-label\">\n<p>Up Next<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span 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class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(&#8216;metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded&#8217;, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === &#8216;undefined&#8217; || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === &#8216;undefined&#8217; || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === &#8216;undefined&#8217;) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(&#8216;.metro-video-player&#8217;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(&#8216;.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder&#8217;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(&#8216;metro-video-player&#8211;related-videos-loaded&#8217;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A spokesperson for Mitchells &amp; Butlers said: \u2018The tree was cut back after we were advised that it caused a serious health and safety risk.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018This was an essential action to protect our employees and guests, to whom we have a duty of care. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018Upon further inspection, our specialist arboriculture contractors made the assessment that the split and dead wood posed a serious health and safety risk and advised that the tree was unsafe and should be removed.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We took every necessary measure to ensure all legal requirements were met. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018We are grateful to our expert contractors for warning us of this hazard so swiftly, allowing us to act before anyone was harmed.\u2019<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"774\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22911023 lazyload\" alt=\"Mystery after ?ancient tree? that is hundreds of years old chopped down in London park overnight\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/softnary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247623408-3ff3.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>The huge tree has now been reduced to a stump (Picture: Paul Whiting)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jack Taylor from conservation organisation the Woodlands Trust said: \u2018It\u2019s really shocking, we don\u2019t see this very often at all. This does not have permission, it\u2019s particularly shocking. It was truly alive, it was not a dead tree.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We want a full investigation we want legal heritage for trees like listed buildings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Maybe that could prevent or deter this sort of thing. You cannot rebuild a tree, it takes many centuries.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>It comes as the Tree Council and Forest Research published a report on Monday, calling for a \u2018robust and effective system\u2019 of protections as part of a wider action plan to <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2023\/09\/30\/sycamore-gap-felling-leads-to-calls-for-special-tree-heritage-status-19579481\/\">protect England\u2019s most important trees<\/a> in the wake of the Sycamore Gap tree felling in September 2023.<\/p>\n<p>The trial of the two men accused of felling the Sycamore Gap tree is due to take place later this month in Newcastle Crown Court.<\/p>\n<p>The Whitewebbs Wood is the ancient area where Guy Fawkes and his gunpowder plot conspirators used a house on the edge of the wood to hatch their plot before they attacked parliament.<\/p>\n<p>The tree did not have a tree preservation order on it because it was on council land, which should have given it automatic protection.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"861\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22911027 lazyload\" alt=\"Mystery after ?ancient tree? that is hundreds of years old chopped down in London park overnight\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/softnary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247623351-884a.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>There is hardly anything left of the tree (Picture: Guardians of Whitewebbs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Leader of Enfield Council Ergin Erbil said: \u2018Enfield Council cares deeply about protecting trees and green spaces in the borough.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We were recently made aware of the felling of an ancient oak tree in\u00a0 Whitewebbs Wood, which occurred on April 3.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The council was not informed of this until last week. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018Our teams immediately carried out a full site inspection to assess the damage after receiving reports of the damage done to the tree.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We are treating the matter as criminal damage and have reported it to the police. We\u2019ve now placed a legal protection (tree preservation order) on the tree and are looking at ways to grow it back. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018We will continue to work closely with the police as they continue their investigation into this matter.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong><strong><strong>Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"mailto:webnews@metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>For more stories like this, <\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ancient oak tree thought to be more than 400 years old has been felled(Picture: Adam Cormack\/Woodland Trust\/PA Wire) The owners of Toby Carvery are under fire after an \u2018irreplaceable\u2019 ancient oak in north London was chopped down. The tree, which is up to 500 years old, has been reduced to a\u00a0stump.\u00a0 Enfield Council, which [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2186"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2194,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2186\/revisions\/2194"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}