BERNARD CROOK GARDEN SERVICES LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00953763 · ltd · incorporated 1969-05-08
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 Sept 2025
Net worth
£-56.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01130
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 47789Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (other than commercial art galleries and opticians)
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 77/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 75). 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 (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 55.5y
15/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 55.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
99 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
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 · FRS 102Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £56,405
Cash draining
Cash down 93% YoY
Cash YoY
-93%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£623
↓ 93% YoY
Net Worth
-£56k
↓ 23% YoY
Current Assets
£5k
↓ 78% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-09-30 | 2024-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-42.0k | £-32.9k |
| Current assets | £4.7k | £21.5k |
| Cash | £623 | £9.2k |
| Debtors | £615 | £108 |
| Net assets | £-56.4k | £-46.0k |
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
3
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2026-02-10📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-06-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-21➖CROOK, Hannah Cicely Ruth resigneddirector
- 2022-07-21📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-06-28📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2022-06-28📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-06-26➖CROOK, Peter John resignedsecretary
- 2022-06-26➖CROOK, Peter John resigneddirector
- 2022-03-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-14➕CROOK, Hannah Cicely Ruth appointeddirector
- 2021-12-14📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-03-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-04📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-03-04📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-03-04📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-03-04🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2021-03-04🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2021-03-04🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2020-04-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2004-12-28➖CROOK, Bernard resigneddirector
- 2001-03-23➖SEYMOUR, Susan Ruth resignedsecretary
- 2001-03-21➕CROOK, Peter John appointedsecretary
- 1973-07-27🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Albert A. Jones
- 1971-01-05🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1970-11-17🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Tranquil Trust LTD
- 1969-05-08🏢Company incorporatedAs BERNARD CROOK GARDEN SERVICES 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 "CROOK" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 75 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
76/100
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 75 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 57 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Paul James Crook Individual · British · DOB 10/1958 · age 68 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mr David Alan Crook Individual · British · DOB 02/1951 · age 75 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Peter John Crookceased 26/06/2022· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · MK postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.CHANDLER (BEDFORD) LIMITED→ 02040024 · est 1986 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 39y | — | — |
| A.M. EQUESTRIAN SERVICES LIMITED→ 16568452 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ANTONIA B SERVICE LIMITED→ 16272909 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ATN FARMS LIMITED→ 10253034 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| AVENUE FARM HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 16417325 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AZS EVENTING LTD→ 14308467 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BAIT BANDITS LIMITED→ 16526667 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BEACHAMPTON AGRI SOLUTIONS LTD→ 14020379 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BEBISS LTD→ 16428524 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BEDFORDIA FARMS LIMITED→ 00607130 · est 1958 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 67y | — | — |
| BEDS & BUCKS FARRIERS LIMITED→ 10537187 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| BEST INGREDIENTS LIMITED→ 16309163 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1969-05-08
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01130 — SIC 01130
Registered office
Sherington Nurseries
Sherington
Newport Pagnell
Buckinghamshire
MK16 9NQ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-20
Last: 2026-03-06
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
Active
Active
CROOK, Peter John→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2001-03-21 · resigned 2022-06-26
SEYMOUR, Susan Ruth→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2001-03-23
CROOK, Bernard→
Resigneddirector · ~102y · resigned 2004-12-28
CROOK, Hannah Cicely Ruth→
Resigneddirector · ~32y · appointed 2021-12-14 · resigned 2022-07-21
CROOK, Peter John→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · resigned 2022-06-26
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Albert A. Jones | Legal charge | 1 property | 27/07/1973 | 04/03/2021 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Mortgage | 1 property | 05/01/1971 | 04/03/2021 | |
| satisfied | Tranquil Trust Tranquil Trust LTD | Charge | 1 property | 17/11/1970 | 04/03/2021 |
Recent filings (99 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-03-18
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-02-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-07
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-07-21
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2022-06-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-06-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-08
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-12-14