The council decided to demolish the house to make way for a new hyperspace bypass (or a normal bypass - something like that, anyway), but because it was a bit old, they made a cursory effort towards recording it first.

A friend got the job of looking it over before it was killed, and brought me along to help; it was the sort of job, in the sort of area, that you'd like to get done as quickly as possible.

I say killed, but maybe it would be better to say put out of its misery. By the time we got to it its eyes had been put out, and its teeth and nails pulled. It was hurt and bewildered.