BLACKDYKE ENGINEERS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
00873515 · ltd · incorporated 1966-03-10
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jul 2023
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 28220
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 33120Repair of machinery
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 68-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 68). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 50.7y

30/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 50.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (72/100)

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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
13 officers (2 active, 13 linked, 10 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
129 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2023-07-31
Average employees1400

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 signals 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
2
filings
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (38 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-20
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  2. 2025-07-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  3. 2025-02-07
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  4. 2024-10-18
    ➖
    LAWSON, Eleanor Robina resigned
    director
  5. 2024-07-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-07-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-07-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2021-06-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-04-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-04-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-04-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-05-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-05-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-04-21
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  15. 2016-03-17
    ➖
    THOMAS, David Albert resigned
    director
  16. 2016-01-20
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2015-05-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 2012-07-11
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  19. 2010-02-08
    ➕
    LAWSON, Eleanor Robina appointed
    director
  20. 2006-12-01
    ➖
    YARDLEY, Roderick Mawby Calder resigned
    director
  21. 2005-12-15
    ➕
    LAWSON, Robert Andrew appointed
    director
  22. 2005-12-15
    ➖
    LAWSON, David Mark resigned
    director
  23. 2005-12-15
    ➕
    YARDLEY, Roderick Mawby Calder appointed
    director
  24. 2005-07-11
    ➖
    LAWSON, Robert Andrew resigned
    director
  25. 2005-07-11
    ➖
    YARDLEY, Roderick Mawby Calder resigned
    director
  26. 2005-05-11
    ➕
    LAWSON, Robert Andrew appointed
    director
  27. 2005-05-11
    ➕
    YARDLEY, Roderick Mawby Calder appointed
    director
  28. 2004-05-20
    ➖
    LAWSON, Eleanor Robina resigned
    director
  29. 2004-05-20
    ➖
    LAWSON, Russell resigned
    director
  30. 2000-12-20
    ➕
    DUCKWORTH, Anne appointed
    secretary
  31. 2000-12-20
    ➖
    RUMNEY, John Joseph resigned
    secretary
  32. 1996-07-01
    ➕
    RUMNEY, John Joseph appointed
    secretary
  33. 1996-06-30
    ➖
    LAWSON, Eleanor Robina resigned
    secretary
  34. 1993-10-25
    ➕
    LAWSON, David Mark appointed
    director
  35. 1993-08-31
    ➖
    LAWSON, Robert Andrew resigned
    director
  36. 1985-12-02
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  37. 1975-09-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  38. 1966-03-10
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BLACKDYKE ENGINEERS LIMITED

Owner dependency

100/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

95/100
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 68. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 60 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

Lawson Engineers Limited holds 25-50% — a significant corporate investor but not a controlling parent.

🏛️
Lawson Engineers Limited
Corporate parent · holds 25-50% shares
significant stake
⬇
BLACKDYKE ENGINEERS LIMITED
This company · 00873515

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

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Lawson Engineers Limited
Corporate entity
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting20/12/2016

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

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
Incorporated1966-03-10
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC28220 — SIC 28220

Registered office

Barras Lane Industrial Estate
Dalston
Carlisle
Cumbria
CA5 7ND

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-20
Last: 2025-12-06

Officers (2 active · 11 resigned)

DUCKWORTH, Anne→
secretary · appointed 2000-12-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LAWSON, Robert Andrew→
director · ~68y · appointed 2005-12-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LAWSON, Eleanor Robina→
secretary · resigned 1996-06-30
Resigned
RUMNEY, John Joseph→
secretary · appointed 1996-07-01 · resigned 2000-12-20
Resigned
LAWSON, David Mark→
director · ~62y · appointed 1993-10-25 · resigned 2005-12-15
Resigned
LAWSON, Eleanor Robina→
director · ~92y · appointed 2010-02-08 · resigned 2024-10-18
Resigned
LAWSON, Eleanor Robina→
director · ~92y · resigned 2004-05-20
Resigned
LAWSON, Robert Andrew→
director · ~68y · appointed 2005-05-11 · resigned 2005-07-11
Resigned
LAWSON, Robert Andrew→
director · ~68y · resigned 1993-08-31
Resigned
LAWSON, Russell→
director · ~101y · resigned 2004-05-20
Resigned
THOMAS, David Albert→
director · ~73y · resigned 2016-03-17
Resigned
YARDLEY, Roderick Mawby Calder→
director · ~64y · appointed 2005-12-15 · resigned 2006-12-01
Resigned
YARDLEY, Roderick Mawby Calder→
director · ~64y · appointed 2005-05-11 · resigned 2005-07-11
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
Debenture1 property11/07/2012—
outstanding
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Fixed and floating charge1 property02/12/1985—
outstanding
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Mortgage1 property01/09/1975—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (129 total)

cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-12-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-07-08
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-02-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-07-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-06-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-04-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-02