During September, the bulldozers moved in and Sandown Hall was razed to the ground. The resultant pile of earth and rubble was pictured in the Liverpool Echo, which was (belatedly) inspired by the saga of Sandown Hall - along with the partial collapse of the Casartelli building in Hanover Street - to launch its STOP THE ROT campaign in defence of Liverpool's listed buildings.
Listed Building Consent for the demolition of Sandown Hall was granted by the Secretary of State in late June, subject to a legal agreement securing the salvage of some components of the building: the tripartite windows on the side elevations and the portico, the pediment and cornice on the south front. We understand that this 'Section 106' agreement - a draft of which was circulated at the Public Inquiry in October 1998 - included the following clauses:
"The Owners ... agree and undertake with the Council ... that ... they will not undertake the demolition of ... the Building ... unless the Features have first been removed from the Building in accordance with a Scheme which shall have been prepared by the Owners ... to which the Council has signified its agreement in writing ...
"the Scheme shall include a method statement which shall deal with the following matters: ... the removal of the Features in such a manner as to enable them to be preserved either on the Site or at another location to be specified by the Council; ... the handing over of the Features into the ownership and possession of the Council."

We are still waiting to hear from the City Council's Chief Executive whether this agreement has, in fact, been enforced.