ASTBURY MEADOW GARDEN CENTRE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
01049180 · ltd · incorporated 1972-04-10
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 99999
Sector: Extraterritorial bodies
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 81-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 81). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 45.5y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 45.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (59/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
14 officers (2 active, 14 linked, 10 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
149 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
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (40 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-02-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  3. 2025-01-07
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  4. 2024-12-31
    ➖
    HEWITT, Robert John resigned
    director
  5. 2024-03-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-05-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-02-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  8. 2021-06-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-02-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-02-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-05-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-05-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-06-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  14. 2015-11-30
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2015-04-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  16. 2014-11-25
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2012-02-02
    ➕
    GAULT, Dorothy Agnes Dickson appointed
    director
  18. 2011-02-15
    ➖
    GAULT, Robert David resigned
    director
  19. 2007-03-20
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  20. 2007-02-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  21. 2007-02-02
    ➕
    GAULT, Dorothy Agnes Dickson appointed
    secretary
  22. 2007-02-02
    ➖
    COWGILL, Jacqueline Fiona resigned
    secretary
  23. 2007-02-02
    ➕
    GAULT, Robert David appointed
    director
  24. 2007-02-02
    ➕
    HEWITT, Robert John appointed
    director
  25. 2007-02-02
    ➖
    TILLING, Rebecca Elizabeth resigned
    director
  26. 2006-09-30
    ➖
    TILLING, Diane Elisabeth resigned
    director
  27. 2003-03-11
    ➖
    TILLING, Thomas Roderick resigned
    director
  28. 2003-01-08
    ➖
    DARBYSHIRE, Anthony John resigned
    director
  29. 1998-12-15
    ➕
    COWGILL, Jacqueline Fiona appointed
    secretary
  30. 1998-12-15
    ➖
    TILLING, Emma Kate resigned
    secretary
  31. 1997-04-30
    ➖
    DARBYSHIRE, Frank James resigned
    director
  32. 1997-04-30
    ➖
    DARBYSHIRE, Muriel Nancy resigned
    director
  33. 1997-01-01
    ➕
    TILLING, Emma Kate appointed
    secretary
  34. 1996-12-31
    ➖
    DARBYSHIRE, Muriel Nancy resigned
    secretary
  35. 1995-06-07
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  36. 1995-02-14
    ➕
    DARBYSHIRE, Anthony John appointed
    director
  37. 1995-02-14
    ➖
    TILLING, Megan Olwen resigned
    director
  38. 1995-02-14
    ➕
    TILLING, Rebecca Elizabeth appointed
    director
  39. 1980-12-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: National Westminster Bank LTD
  40. 1972-04-10
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ASTBURY MEADOW GARDEN CENTRE LIMITED

Owner dependency

90/100
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.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 81 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

98/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 81 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 54 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

William Strike Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
William Strike Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
⬇
ASTBURY MEADOW GARDEN CENTRE LIMITED
This company · 01049180

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
William Strike Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting06/04/2016

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

8 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
Incorporated1972-04-10
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC99999 — SIC 99999

Registered office

C/O Houghton Hall Garden Centre
Houghton
Carlisle
CA6 4JB

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-07
Last: 2025-10-24

Officers (2 active · 12 resigned)

GAULT, Dorothy Agnes Dickson→
secretary · appointed 2007-02-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GAULT, Dorothy Agnes Dickson→
director · ~81y · appointed 2012-02-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COWGILL, Jacqueline Fiona→
secretary · appointed 1998-12-15 · resigned 2007-02-02
Resigned
DARBYSHIRE, Muriel Nancy→
secretary · resigned 1996-12-31
Resigned
TILLING, Emma Kate→
secretary · appointed 1997-01-01 · resigned 1998-12-15
Resigned
DARBYSHIRE, Anthony John→
director · ~65y · appointed 1995-02-14 · resigned 2003-01-08
Resigned
DARBYSHIRE, Frank James→
director · ~94y · resigned 1997-04-30
Resigned
DARBYSHIRE, Muriel Nancy→
director · ~94y · resigned 1997-04-30
Resigned
GAULT, Robert David→
director · ~81y · appointed 2007-02-02 · resigned 2011-02-15
Resigned
HEWITT, Robert John→
director · ~70y · appointed 2007-02-02 · resigned 2024-12-31
Resigned
TILLING, Diane Elisabeth→
director · ~82y · resigned 2006-09-30
Resigned
TILLING, Megan Olwen→
director · ~110y · resigned 1995-02-14
Resigned
TILLING, Rebecca Elizabeth→
director · ~57y · appointed 1995-02-14 · resigned 2007-02-02
Resigned
TILLING, Thomas Roderick→
director · ~83y · resigned 2003-03-11
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Mortgage debenture1 property07/06/199514/02/2007
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank LTD
Legal mortgage1 property18/12/198020/03/2007

Recent filings (149 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2026-04-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-02-24
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-01-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-03-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-05-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-02-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-06-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2020-02-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-11-18