A prominent tree located close to an Oxford University college has fallen, blocking both the pavement and part of the road.

The sizeable tree on Broad Street beside Trinity College tumbled down on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 21. Investigators are still determining why it toppled over.

Oxfordshire County Council has verified that workers removed the tree from the road surface during an operation carried out outside normal business hours.

Locals have voiced their regret across social media, with one person mentioning they often ate their lunch in its shade.

Tour guide Debbie Gerrans said she felt tremendous sorrow at the tree’s passing and expressed her wish for a replacement to be planted in its stead.

She said she had greeted many groups comprising hundreds and thousands of tourists at the Trinity College gates where that lovely tree used to stand, offering cover from both wet and sunny weather.

Other observers commented that the tree probably struggled to access adequate water beneath the paving stones.

In response to a photograph of the tree taken earlier this month, Szilvia Kallai remarked that it was evident the tree had been unsteady. She said it ought to have been cut back years earlier since it could not bear its own weight, and described the situation as very sad.

Positioned on Broad Street across from the market, the tree grew close to the spot where Protestant martyrs Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer were put to death by fire.

The road is also famous for its bookshops, particularly Blackwell’s, with the recently fallen tree being one of the rare green features along that particular section of street.