It was found buried deep in the mud of a Norfolk farmer's field a decade ago.

But after ten years of careful crafting, a 5,000-year-old oak tree has been fashioned into a stunning 13m table, unveiled this week to honour the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The table is made from a trunk of fossilised Fenland black oak, or bog oak, unearthed on land at Wissington Fen, near Downham Market, in 2012 - the year of the Diamond Jubilee - after the local farmer hit an obstacle while planting potatoes.

Conservation experts then launched a project to remove the tree - which fell before the construction of Stonehenge and the Pyramids - before cutting it into planks and, eventually, turning it into a table.

A special sawmill was flown over from Canada and assembled in the field, in order to mill the wood into ten planks. The temporary site became the UK's largest sawmill.

The planks were then dried for nine months in a kiln, which also had to be specially constructed. Almost 400 gallons of water were extracted from the wood.

The table was made from four, full length planks at a workshop in East London. At one point, a nearby road had to be closed to allow the planks to be moved into the correct position.

The table was officially unveiled in Ely Cathedral this week by the Princess Royal, to mark the Jubilee.

Eastern Daily Press: HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne visited Ely Cathedral to unveil the The Fenland Black Oak Project 13m long table . Picture: Keith HeppellHRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne visited Ely Cathedral to unveil the The Fenland Black Oak Project 13m long table . Picture: Keith Heppell (Image: Keith Heppell)

The initial vision had been for the table to sit in Ely Cathedral’s Lady Chapel, but its size limited other activities taking place and meant it was better placed in one of the side aisles.

It will now be exhibited there until March 2023.

The Dean of Ely, the Very Revd Mark Bonney, said: “Ely Cathedral sits prominently in the Fen landscape, a landscape that five thousand years ago was dominated not by a cathedral, but by the most magnificent oak trees.

Eastern Daily Press: The Fenland Black Oak had been buried beneath Norfolk farmland for 5,000 years Picture: Fenland Black Oak ProjectThe Fenland Black Oak had been buried beneath Norfolk farmland for 5,000 years Picture: Fenland Black Oak Project (Image: supplied)

Eastern Daily Press: A 13-metre table that has been made from a 5,000-year-old fossilised black oak tree arrived at Ely Cathedral on May 9.A 13-metre table that has been made from a 5,000-year-old fossilised black oak tree arrived at Ely Cathedral on May 9. (Image: Terry Harris)

Eastern Daily Press: A 13-metre table that has been made from a 5,000-year-old fossilised black oak tree arrived at Ely Cathedral on May 9.A 13-metre table that has been made from a 5,000-year-old fossilised black oak tree arrived at Ely Cathedral on May 9. (Image: Terry Harris)

Eastern Daily Press: A 13-metre table that has been made from a 5,000-year-old fossilised black oak tree arrived at Ely Cathedral on May 9.A 13-metre table that has been made from a 5,000-year-old fossilised black oak tree arrived at Ely Cathedral on May 9. (Image: Terry Harris)

Eastern Daily Press: A 13-metre table that has been made from a 5,000-year-old fossilised black oak tree arrived at Ely Cathedral on May 9.A 13-metre table that has been made from a 5,000-year-old fossilised black oak tree arrived at Ely Cathedral on May 9. (Image: Terry Harris)

"All that remains of these tress are pieces of black oak that Fen farmers find on a regular basis, though a piece of as long as the black oak table, discovered ten years ago, is a truly remarkable, and it’s transformation into a magnificent table a stunning piece of craftsmanship."

Eastern Daily Press: A 13-metre table that has been made from a 5,000-year-old fossilised black oak tree arrived at Ely Cathedral on May 9.A 13-metre table that has been made from a 5,000-year-old fossilised black oak tree arrived at Ely Cathedral on May 9. (Image: Terry Harris)

Furniture specialist Hamish Low has led the project, with the support of funders and the Building Crafts College in Stratford, London. He said the table was a "national treasure".

Information boards will detail the history of black oak and highlight elements of the 10-year project.

Eastern Daily Press: HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne visited Ely Cathedral to unveil the The Fenland Black Oak Project 13m long table . Picture: Keith HeppellHRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne visited Ely Cathedral to unveil the The Fenland Black Oak Project 13m long table . Picture: Keith Heppell (Image: Keith Heppell)

For more information about the project visit www.elycathedral.org or thefenlandblackoakproject.co.uk


FENLAND BLACK OAK

Thousands of years ago the Fens were densely forested by large oak trees which, due to rising seas, fell into the silt of the flooded forest floor and were preserved in peat.

One of the rarest forms of timber in England, bog oak is comparable to some of the world's most expensive tropical hardwoods.

Experts believe the Norfolk bog oak could be just a section - possibly as small as a quarter - of the original tree.