The tree, which measures 6.1 metres around its trunk, is located near the Whitewebbs House Toby Carvery car park within the Whitewebbs Park.
The oak had been assessed as dying and a risk to the public by tree experts employed by the company’s owner Mitchells & Butlers, and was cut down on April 3, the PA news agency understands.
Enfield Council yesterday reported the matter to the Metropolitan Police and said it was not informed of the planned felling and was treating it as criminal damage.
It has also put an emergency preservation order in place on the base of the stump.
Mitchells & Butlers defended the decision, saying it acted on the advice of employed tree experts.
Two cups of tea left by the remains of an ancient oak tree in Whitewebbs Park, believed to be where Guy Fawkes planned his Gunpowder Plot (Image: Woodland Trust)
Environmental campaigners and locals have decried the felling as “distressing”.
The Woodland Trust has been calling for legal protection for the country’s oldest and most important trees.
Its head of campaigning Adam Cormack said the tree’s loss was “devastating”.
He added: ““This depressing sight is a reminder to all of us that not every ancient tree is in a safe place.
“Whitewebbs House is where the Gunpowder Plot was planned. 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.
“It’s just possible that the tree would have overheard Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators.”
The remains of the Whitewebbs Park oak, surrounded by its severed limbs, were discovered by council workers last week and an emergency tree preservation order has now been imposed on the base of its stump.
The oak is in the top 100 of London’s 600,000 oak trees for size and could be up to 500 years old.
Benny Hawksbee, local biologist and chair of Guardians of Whitewebbs, said: “This is horrific, made even more distressing when paired with the looming potential destruction of Whitewebbs Park.
“This ancient oak is monumental; visiting it in person, it feels wise, having witnessed so much over its lifespan of up to 500 years. I can’t imagine what type of person would decimate a tree like this.
“An ancient oak can support over 2,000 species, meaning that thousands of living beings have just lost their home. No living being deserves this.
“I feel overwhelmingly sad and angry, and also scared for what may come next if we cannot stop whoever did this destruction this time.
“We must save and protect our vital and fundamental supports for life, our trees and green spaces.”
Enfield Council leader Cllr Ergin Erbil said: “The council was not informed of this incident until last week.
“Our teams immediately carried out a full site inspection to assess the damage after receiving reports of the damage done to the tree.
“We are treating the matter as criminal damage and have reported it to the police. We’ve now placed a legal protection (Tree Preservation Order) on the tree and are looking at ways to help it grow back.”
Enfield Council and Toby Carvery have been contacted for comment.
