Dr George Smith, a member of the Eynsham Society, said: “It is a terrible shame. This is one of the most prominent and elegant buildings in the village and the wall provided a very attractive boundary.
“It was listed along with the building and I would have thought special permission was needed for its demolition.”
However, a spokesman at West Oxfordshire District Council's planning department, said permission for demolition was granted when the conversion scheme was approved. He explained: “It was a condition of approval that a new access be provided to improve visibility and there was no way of doing this other than taking out the middle section of the wall.”