When Hainault Forest opened to the public in 1906, the London County Council released a Dedication. This booklet provides a brief history of the forest and notes that "In 1805 the Oak was accidently set on fire and seriously injured, but survived until the Forest was disafforested in 1851."  This indicates that the tree may have endured longer than commonly believed. Maybe, if the tree was cut down earlier, the base survived until the land was converted for agricultural use.

Thank you to all who contributed with pictures, research and information about the Fairlop Oak. 

Produced by Raymond Small, with special mentions to Brian Ecott, Elaine Wiltshire, Rosemarie Khan, Sandra Patchett, Avril Carnelley and Denis Keeling for their assistance.