Demolition men knock down Rotherham landmark: PICTURES

The chapel and an adjoining warehouse in College Road, Masbrough , were badly damaged by two arson attacks — the latest last week — and Rotherham Borough Council inspectors decided both had to come down.

Kym White, of demolition firm J. White and Co, said: “Everything went according to plan. The main structure is down and now there’s just some tidying up to be done.”

Built in the 1760s, Masbrough Chapel was Rotherham’s first independent place of Methodist worship.

Some of the memorials — including tombstones, plaques and statues — were carefully removed for storage.