C.N. SPENCER LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00162366 · ltd · incorporated 1920-01-02
Investment thesis
Property vehicle with leveraged stack — refinance / partial-release angle.
Why interesting: Asset-backed; value largely in underlying property; lender engagement likely possible.
Why risky: Multiple lenders to manage; inter-creditor friction and partial-release cost possible.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 35.8y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
£455.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 68209Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 78-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (65/100, director aged 78). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · oldest 35.8y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 35.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (4 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
113 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £455,502
Cash YoY
+50%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£79k
↑ 50% YoY
Net Worth
£456k
↑ 17% YoY
Current Assets
£401k
↑ 11% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £490.5k | £428.6k |
| Current assets | £400.5k | £359.4k |
| Cash | £79.0k | £52.8k |
| Debtors | £183.4k | £162.8k |
| Net assets | £455.5k | £389.8k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-11📄accounts-amended-with-made-up-dateaccounts · AAMD
- 2019-01-11📄accounts-amended-with-made-up-dateaccounts · AAMD
- 2018-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-01-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-12-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-09-16📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-01-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2010-07-09🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 2010-05-04🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2004-09-13➕SPENCER, William Andrew Mons appointeddirector
- 2004-08-04🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2004-08-04🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 1997-12-18➖SPENCER, Michael Charles, Dr resigneddirector
- 1997-03-13🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1995-01-06➖CREAMER, Maurice James resignedsecretary
- 1993-08-23➕SPENCER, Oscar Charles Donald appointedsecretary
- 1993-08-10🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1992-09-30🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1990-09-05🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1920-01-02🏢Company incorporatedAs C.N. SPENCER LIMITED
Owner dependency
98/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "SPENCER" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 78 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
90/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 78 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 106 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr William Harry Mons Spencer Individual · British · DOB 01/1948 · age 78 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| BLETSOE - BROWN LIMITED→ 00950777 · est 1969 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 57y | — | — |
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| BRAMPTON VALLEY TRAINING & ASSESSMENTS LTD→ 14487916 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
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| BURY FARM SHARPENHOE LIMITED→ 14814265 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| C DICKS AND SONS LIMITED→ 03829289 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| C.H. TOMKINS LIMITED→ 02738680 · est 1992 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 33y | — | — |
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1920-01-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Registered office
Manor Farm House Sudborough Road
Brigstock
Kettering
Northants
NN14 3JF
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-05
Last: 2025-08-22
Officers (4 active · 2 resigned)
SPENCER, Oscar Charles Donald→
Activesecretary · appointed 1993-08-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SPENCER, William Andrew Mons→
Activedirector · ~50y · appointed 2004-09-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CREAMER, Maurice James→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1995-01-06
SPENCER, Michael Charles, Dr→
Resigneddirector · ~82y · resigned 1997-12-18
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 13/03/1997 | 09/07/2010 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 10/08/1993 | 04/05/2010 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 4 properties | 30/09/1992 | 04/08/2004 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 05/09/1990 | 04/08/2004 |
Recent filings (113 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-01-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-01-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-01-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-01-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-01-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-01-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-09-02
accounts-amended-with-made-up-date
accounts · AAMD
2019-01-11