A MUCH-LOVED piece of Southampton’s history has been destroyed – to make way for a new toilet block.

Southampton City Council lopped, chopped and shredded a protected tree that had stood in the gardens of Tudor House since the 1930s.

While some Old Town residents believed the tree dated back hundreds of years, the council last night insisted it was planted 80 years ago.

Leisure bosses last night insisted they had “no other option” but to fell the tree as part of a £5.8m restoration of the museum.

Andrew Dickson, whose flat is next to Tudor House, said: “It’s sad to see the tree coming down after all these years. It’s part of history.”

Tudor House will reopen in summer of 2011 after nine years of refurbishment with a new cafe, toilets and lifts.