AN OXFORD oak tree thought to date from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I has fallen.

The mighty sentinel at Shotover Country Park, known as the Shotover Oak, fell in two parts on Monday.

Once thought to date from the mid-1700s, recent advances in arboreal ageing techniques suggested the tree was more likely 400 years old.

Shotover Wildlife Group had said, although the tree had shown signs of ageing in the past decade, experts suggested it could prosper “well into the future” if managed properly.

But on Monday, chairman Ivan Wright and his wife Jacqueline saw the giant finally come down.

In a statement Mr Wright wrote: “Life goes on and the Shotover Oak will continue its contribution as important dead wood habitat.”