C.H. ELLIS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00737963 · ltd · incorporated 1962-10-16
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2024
Net worth
£882.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Operating under SIC 01500 (mixed farming), this long-established Polegate-based business most likely carries out day-to-day agricultural activities involving a combination of crop cultivation and livestock rearing, typical of a traditional mixed farming operation in the English countryside.
Primary activity: SIC 01500
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 83-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 83). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
7 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 48.5y
15/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 48.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
7 charges (7/7 with lender, 7/7 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 4 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
3 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
116 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
74
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 £882,428
Net assets shrinking
Down £299,869 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 78% YoY
Cash YoY
-78%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£12k
↓ 78% YoY
Net Worth
£882k
↓ 25% YoY
Current Assets
£922k
↓ 20% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £3.65M | £4.04M |
| Current assets | £921.5k | £1.15M |
| Cash | £11.9k | £54.8k |
| Debtors | £396.7k | £580.6k |
| Net assets | £882.4k | £1.18M |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (34 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-13📄second-filing-notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · RP04PSC01
- 2026-02-10📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-10-21📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2025-10-21📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-10-21📄capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-sharescapital · SH10
- 2025-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-21📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-03-21📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-02-06📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2025-02-04🔒Charge registered #7Lender: Barclays Security Trustee Limited
- 2025-01-27📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-01-27📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-01-27🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2025-01-27🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2024-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-07📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-06-04📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-05-31🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Barclays Security Trustee Limited
- 2024-05-31🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Barclays Security Trustee Limited
- 2024-04-18📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-09-27📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2023-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-12📄dissolved-compulsory-strike-off-suspendeddissolution · DISS16(SOAS)
- 2023-08-29📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2022-08-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-19📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-09-02➖ELLIS, Peter Cecil resigneddirector
- 2020-10-30🔒Charge registered #4Lender: The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
- 2020-05-15🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Barclays Security Trustee Limited
- 2015-01-09🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2013-10-01➕ELLIS, Duncan Peter appointeddirector
- 2011-03-24➖ELLIS, Charles Henry Harold resigneddirector
- 1977-12-01🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank Limited
- 1962-10-16🏢Company incorporatedAs C.H. ELLIS LIMITED
Owner dependency
96/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "ELLIS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 83 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
89/100
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 83 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 13 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 64 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 · 1 lowCharge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
5 live charges
lowHeavily leveraged with multiple live security positions — understand the capital structure before proceeding.
Shareholders & ownership
3 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Duncan Ellis Individual · British · DOB 06/1977 · age 49 | 50–75% | 50–75% | 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · trust interest | 11/02/2025 |
Meryl Noreen Ellis Individual · British · DOB 01/1945 · age 81 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · trust interest | 11/02/2025 |
Mr Charles Raymond Ellis Individual · British · DOB 02/1943 · age 83 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Peter Cecil Ellis (Deceased)ceased 02/09/2021· 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 →Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · BN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. STEMN ORGANISATION LTD→ 13421354 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ATHERALLS FARMS LIMITED→ 01834578 · est 1984 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 41y | — | — |
| BEVERNBRIDGE STABLES LIMITED→ 06137332 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| BINSTED FARMS LIMITED→ 00590446 · est 1957 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 68y | — | — |
| BLACKBERRY FARM (SUSSEX) LTD→ 11110544 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| BLUE LIGHT FISHERIES LIMITED→ 15937837 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BOLNEY NURSERY LIMITED→ 02082294 · est 1986 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 39y | — | — |
| BÖN HEALING HERBS & RETREATS LTD→ 16051254 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BPF BUSINESS CENTRE LTD→ 15528639 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BRIDGERS FARM LTD→ 04782912 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| C J ROOTS FARMING LIMITED→ 07875992 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| CALEY BROTHERS LIMITED→ 12486221 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
9 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
Incorporated1962-10-16
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01500 — SIC 01500
Registered office
Church Farm
Litlington
Polegate
East Sussex
BN26 5RA
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-29
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-18
Last: 2026-03-04
Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)
Active
Active
ELLIS, Duncan Peter→
Activedirector · ~49y · appointed 2013-10-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ELLIS, Charles Henry Harold→
Resigneddirector · ~111y · resigned 2011-03-24
ELLIS, Peter Cecil→
Resigneddirector · ~81y · resigned 2021-09-02
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
7
Total charges
5
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:7 of 7 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Security Trustee Limited | A registered charge | — | 04/02/2025 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Security Trustee Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 31/05/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Security Trustee Limited | A registered charge | 2 properties | 31/05/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 30/10/2020 | — | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Security Trustee Limited | A registered charge | — | 15/05/2020 | 27/01/2025 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 09/01/2015 | 27/01/2025 | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank Limited | Legal charge | 1 property | 01/12/1977 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (116 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-18
second-filing-notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · RP04PSC01
2026-02-13
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-02-10
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2025-10-21
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2025-10-21
capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-shares
capital · SH10
2025-10-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-25
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-03-21
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-03-21
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-02-06
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-01-27
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-01-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-30
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-06-07