A wall at Mill Hill's historic Mount Girls' School will be knocked down by hand and replaced brick by brick as part of a classroom development.
Planning permission for the work at the 1875, Grade 2 listed school in Milespit Hill was granted in March, with the provision that the wall would remain standing.
But on Monday morning, residents woke to see the wall being demolished by contractors Claydon Associates.
"A bulldozer appeared this morning and half the wall was knocked down," said Robert Harris, 53, who lives opposite the school, which was listed in 1983.
"If you look at Milespit Hill, it is one of the last remaining villages in London.
"The school is a landmark building," he added.
Mike Freestone, acting head of planning, highways and design, said the wall, which will form part of the new classroom block, was unsafe and could put workers at risk.
"Given these exceptional circumstances, it was agreed the developer could retrospectively submit a listed building application to bring it down by hand before reinstating it using the original materials," he said.
"A portion of the wall has been taken down with machinery but after a visit made by a planning enforcement officer, work resumed by hand to dismantle it."
November 28, 2001 19:32
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article