SINGAPORE - The decaying Angsana tree that stood on the steps outside the School of the Arts (Sota) was cut down on Sunday afternoon (Jan 21).

The iconic tree - known as the Tree of Knowledge to some students, or more commonly, the Sota Tree - was estimated to be about 40 years old. It was 33.6m tall.

When the school in Dhoby Ghaut was built eight years ago, care was made to incorporate it into the design of the school's facade.

But in 2013, an arborist noted that the towering tree showed signs of decay at its base.

Cables were installed the following year to support the tree.

However, Sota announced on Friday that the tree will have to be removed "for the safety of students, staff and members of the public".

At a farewell event on Friday evening, Sota principal Lim Geok Cheng called the tree an important landmark and said: "We had hoped to keep the tree standing on our steps for as long as possible, but there is only so much we can do."

The school intends to create works of art from parts of the tree's trunk and plant a new sapling at a later date.