'It's like a family bereavement': Devon village mourns loss of beloved oak tree

On a calm, sunny day, Silverton's Broad Oak fell after standing for hundreds of years, leaving many grappling with griefSince the 15th century, perhaps even longer, Broad Oak has been part of the Silverton landscape. Residents of the Devon village, one of the oldest in the south-west of England, have met beneath the tree's mighty boughs clambered into the canopy, taken a few moments of peace in its shade. Theatre companies have borrowed it for a backdrop; people in need of comfort have hugged it; the primary school uses its image as its badge.Now young and old are mourning its loss after the great tree fell - on a calm, sunny day rather than a stormy one - and the village is working out what to do with the remains of the oak, now crumpled across the recreation ground. Continue reading...