ABINGTON FARMS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
00455725 · ltd · incorporated 1948-06-19
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
83/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 01130SIC 01130
  • 01420SIC 01420
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and acceptable with review structure.

Opportunity 83/100 (exceptional), bankability 57/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 29.1y

35/100
too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 29.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Legal-friction score 35/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: high (84/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

Company profile
address, 3 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
8 officers (4 active, 8 linked, 6 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
19 connected companies via shared directors
90
Filing history
123 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
83/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Dec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Average employees400400

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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-09-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-09-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-09-16
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  4. 2024-09-16
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  5. 2024-09-16
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  6. 2024-09-16
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  7. 2023-09-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-09-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-06-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-07-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  11. 2020-01-29
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  12. 2020-01-15
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Gonville Hotels Limited
  13. 2019-08-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-07-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-11-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2017-09-25
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  17. 2015-09-11
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
  18. 2014-09-11
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
  19. 2011-11-02
    ➖
    CHAPLIN, John Barrie resigned
    director
  20. 2009-07-22
    ➖
    CHAPLIN, Helen Gwendoline resigned
    director
  21. 2002-03-20
    ➕
    CHAPLIN, David John Harold appointed
    director
  22. 2002-03-20
    ➕
    RUSSELL, Hilary Ann appointed
    director
  23. 2001-03-28
    ➕
    RUSSELL, Hilary Ann appointed
    secretary
  24. 2001-03-28
    ➕
    CHAPLIN, Simon Robert Frank appointed
    director
  25. 2001-03-28
    ➖
    LINFORD, Mollie Irene resigned
    secretary
  26. 2001-03-28
    ➖
    LINFORD, Mollie Irene resigned
    director
  27. 1997-04-15
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Bank Limited
  28. 1948-06-19
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ABINGTON FARMS LIMITED

Owner dependency

76/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

80/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 25 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 78 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

The Abington Group Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
The Abington Group Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
ABINGTON FARMS LIMITED
This company · 00455725

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
The Abington Group Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control18/12/2016
3 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mr Simon Robert Frank Chaplinceased 18/12/2016· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
  • Mr David John Harold Chaplinceased 18/12/2016· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
  • Mrs Hilary Ann Russellceased 18/12/2016· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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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
Incorporated1948-06-19
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds

Registered office

Abington Park Farm
Great Abington
Cambridgeshire
CB21 6AX

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-09
Last: 2025-10-26

Officers (4 active · 4 resigned)

RUSSELL, Hilary Ann→
secretary · appointed 2001-03-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CHAPLIN, David John Harold→
director · ~63y · appointed 2002-03-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CHAPLIN, Simon Robert Frank→
director · ~59y · appointed 2001-03-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
RUSSELL, Hilary Ann→
director · ~61y · appointed 2002-03-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LINFORD, Mollie Irene→
secretary · resigned 2001-03-28
Resigned
CHAPLIN, Helen Gwendoline→
director · ~87y · resigned 2009-07-22
Resigned
CHAPLIN, John Barrie→
director · ~93y · resigned 2011-11-02
Resigned
LINFORD, Mollie Irene→
director · ~88y · resigned 2001-03-28
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
3
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Gonville Hotels
Gonville Hotels Limited
A registered charge1 property15/01/2020—
outstanding
The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation
The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
A registered charge1 property11/09/2015—
outstanding
The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation
The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
A registered charge1 property11/09/2014—
outstanding
Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Bank
Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Bank Limited
Deed of legal charge1 property15/04/1997—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (123 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2025-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2024-09-25
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-09-16
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2024-09-16
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-09-16
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-09-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2023-09-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2022-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2021-06-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-27