A Swanage care home in Dorset, which closed in August 2025 has just been placed on the market with a price guide of £2 million.
Residents of York House in Cauldon Avenue, overlooking Beach Gardens moved out over summer 2025, however the former Old Rectory care home in nearby Langton Matravers, which was closed in 2024, is just about to reopen under new ownership.
An ideal location and perfect views – hopefully there will be new owners soon for York House
“It is a tragic loss to the town”
Residents and their families at York House were told they needed to find a new home in early July 2025 and the doors closed on Friday 1st August 2025 with most of the residents having to move out of Purbeck because of the lack of local accommodation.
The 33 bed care home, which was formerly a hotel, is now being marketed by Swanage estate agency Corbens. John Corben said:
“York House is in a great location, overlooking the leisure gardens and the tennis courts and the residents used to enjoy the views – it is also relatively level which is an important factor for a care home.
“We have had a number of clients who have stayed there in the past and they have always spoken very highly of it and the staff, who were all really tip top. It is a tragic loss to the town, really.
“We received instructions a few weeks ago, we were called in by the owner Richard Wiley and he said unfortunately the property was going to close, simply because it was not financially viable.
“It is a shame that the building has closed, my mother was there and I know they looked after her extremely well. It was just a case that Richard, and I’m sure he won’t me saying this, is getting on in years and was running it together with other businesses.
“From his point of view it was financially unviable because of the rules and regulations which keep changing, he had to update the property and it was just something he didn’t want to do, and he was very sad that everyone had to leave.”
There are 33 bedrooms at the York House care home
“Marketing it as a care home”
John added:
“I hope people with like minded businesses would be interested in taking on York House.
“We are marketing it as a care home and hope that someone will come along, as has happened at the Old Rectory in Langton Matravers, which is now starting up again.
“Planners don’t like giving consent for these things to have a change of use until they have been marketed for an extensive period of time to see if there is someone out there who would want to take it on with its current use.
“I hope there is, there are not enough rooms for care across Purbeck, as we saw when they had to close Gainsborough for a while and there was real difficulty in finding other accommodation for all the residents who were staying there.”
The conservatory was a much loved area for the residents of York House
Old Rectory to reopen under new owners
The better news for Swanage’s care sector is that 31 new rooms are about to become available, as the Grade Two listed former Old Rectory in Langton Matravers is about to reopen.
It went into liquidation in January 2024, but is now under new ownership and will be called Dragonfly Care Home.
An open house weekend is to be held in October 2025 although the exact dates have yet to be decided.
Anyone interested in moving in, as well as local people, will be warmly welcomed to look round, as the new team wants to quickly become part of the community.
New manager Lida Basir who will run it with her husband Dr Edney Boston-Griffiths, a cardiology consultant at Dorset County Hospital, hopes that residents will begin to move in by the end of October 2025 and quickly become a valued part of the village.
New manager of Dragonfly Care Home, Lida Basir hopes Dragonfly Care Home can open by the end of October 2025 and become part of the village community
“A real caring community”
Lida Basir said:
“We love this building, it has real character and charm, and Langton Matravers is a real caring community, which means a lot to us. We first saw the Old Rectory two years ago, liked the village community feel and thought it would be a good place to make a home for the elderly.
“We moved here from London five years ago with three children. I have always done acute medicine and cardio thoracic surgery, but during the lockdown I was an agency nurse in a couple of quite high end care homes around Poole.
“I did it for a month, but my husband told me I had to stop. I found it very upsetting as I knew I could run a home so much better myself.
“I know it was lockdown so things were a bit different, but I felt that the residents had been put there waiting for the end, while I believe that a care home should be a new beginning.”
Scaffolding still covers the former Old Rectory by Langton Matravers Church, but a transformation is happening inside
“Dragonfly stands for a new beginning”
Lida added:
“That’s why I’ve chosen to call it the Dragonfly care home, because spiritually a dragonfly stands for a new beginning.
“I want residents to come here and feel that this is a new chapter in their lives where they can make new friends, where their families will always be welcome and where there is lots to do.
“I have an Asian background, and we truly believe that the elderly are to be respected and cherished, they are like the jewel of the family.
“My philosophy is that you should treat your residents the way you would treat your parents, the core of the attention needs to be on them and their needs, so that every resident is truly seen, heard, and valued.
“There needs to be a good social life and a lot of entertainment. We will be an open door to the community, take them to church, get our own transport and take them for outings, bring in dancers, have lots of music, organise games, run a fish and chip disco every Friday!
“We’ll be looking to do chair yoga and meditation to help with their holistic care – as well as the physical needs of our residents, we’ll also be looking after their emotional and psychological needs.”
Lida Basir loves the charm of the Grade Two listed building
Sun trap patio and gardens
Dragonfly Care Home is currently in the middle of a major renovation, with outdoor space being given as much attention as the bedrooms and communal rooms.
An enclosed courtyard is being made for residents to grow their own plants, along with a sun trap patio and gardens.
The team will eventually consist of around 34 staff, with shifts being constructed to allow parents with school aged children to fit work and family into their lives and with extra attention given to the twilight shift to make sure that residents are never hurried to bed before they want to go.
Many of the staff from the closed York House care home have already applied to work at Dragonfly Care Home and around 20 are due to be interviewed in the coming days.
Further information
- Details of the York House sale are on Corbens estate agency website
- More about Dragonfly Care Home
