AFTER being reduced to rot and ruin by fire and water, Richards suffered the final indignity this morning when the wrecking crew moved in.

On a day traditionally known as Abergavenny’s busiest, a few scattered bystanders watched as a unique part of the town’s history fell to rubble and memory.

There was no wrecking ball recklessly smashing into the bricks and mortar that have played such an integral part in the town’s identity. Just a solitary digger, slowly and steadily stripping away what once was and will never be again.

A building that has stood for generations is no more.

What will eventually fill the empty and scarred place it once filled so vibrantly remains to be seen.