 The building was renamed The Limes and provided accommodation for the aged, infirm and vagrants.It was used as an old people's home until its closure in 1969 and demolished in 1972.In 1868, "The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland's" entry for Biggleswade describes the surrounding district as "fertile, and the inhabitants... chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits, and in market gardening" while "many of the female inhabitants are employed in lace-making and the manufacture of straw-plait."