Graham Fisher gets to grips with his tree stump extractor on Witney's old elm tree landmark
A CENTURIES-OLD landmark in Witney town centre was removed in January 1980.
Workmen removed the stump of an old, diseased elm tree in the Market Square, which was felled the previous November.
Using special wood-cutting equipment, the stump was gouged out of the pavement in an operation which took all day.
The tree was often used as a notice board by community groups, but the manner in which the tree was removed angered Witney mayor, Arthur Titherington.
He claimed the felling was carried out 'too quickly' and 'without any sense of occasion'.
The mayor launched an appeal for three new trees to be planted, along with paved surrounds and benches.
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