Chestnut tree chopped and stolen at boarding school

Head gardener Simon Boddy, principal Katherine Jeffrey, deputy Andrew Fardell and estate manager Lee Childs appealed for information to help find the culprits

The head teacher at a historic independent school has said staff are shocked after their "much-loved" chestnut tree was chopped down and stolen.

New Hall School in Chelmsford said the tree was felled by vandals about two weeks ago.

Principal Katherine Jeffrey said there were signs that birds' nests had also been destroyed.

"It is a shock that anyone would come onto private land and do this," she said.

"This tree featured in our educational project about the horse chestnut tree, so naturally the children are sad at its loss."

The Catholic independent day and boarding school was founded in 1642 and its building is Grade I listed.

The school hopes the damage will be compensated by the culprits

The 61-year-old tree was stolen either on 30 April or 1 May, the school believed.

A spokesperson said it was felled before most of the remaining wood was stolen from the grounds.

The landmark stood at the school's Gate Lodge which marked the entrance to the site's Grade II listed park and garden.

CCTV cameras have since been installed, the spokesperson added.

"It was not only a striking and much loved feature of the school’s landscape but also held ecological importance," said head gardener Simon Boddy.

"It is hard to believe that it is gone.”

Essex Police urged anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage to get in touch.

The school said it hoped the culprits would compensate the damage caused, by funding the removal of the "extensive tree roots" and paying for a "replacement tree".