BRADFIELD FARMS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive

01746998 · ltd · incorporated 1983-08-19

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 Sept 2024

Net worth

£324.4k

book net assets

Opportunity

77/100

Strong

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch

What this business does

Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds

Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing

ALSO REGISTERED FOR

01500SIC 01500

Investor take

Pursue

Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. 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. 5 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

8 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 42.4y

15/100

under pressure

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

· Oldest live charge is 42.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
· Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

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, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed

Lenders & charges

8 charges (8/8 with lender, 8/8 with type)

Directors & officers

4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 2 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared

Director network

2 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

101 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

77/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared

Positive net assets

Net assets £324,436

Cash YoY

+76%

Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

£2k

↑ 76% YoY

Net Worth

£324k

~ YoY

Current Assets

£15k

↑ 7.5% 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	£324.4k	£321.8k
Current assets	£15.2k	£14.1k
Cash	£2.5k	£1.4k
Net assets	£324.4k	£321.8k

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

filings

• 2 capital
• 1 resolution
• 1 incorporation

Last 90 days

filings

• 2 capital
• 1 resolution
• 1 incorporation

Last 180 days

filings

• 2 capital
• 2 confirmation-statement
• 1 resolution

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand

2026-05-03
📄
capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-shares
capital · SH10
2026-05-03
📄
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2026-05-03
📄
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2026-05-03
📄
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2025-06-17
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-28
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-26
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-21
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-28
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-06-25
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-06-26
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2018-06-28
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2017-06-15
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2016-07-26
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
1999-07-17
🔓
Charge satisfied #8
1999-07-17
🔓
Charge satisfied #4
1999-07-17
🔓
Charge satisfied #2
1999-07-17
🔓
Charge satisfied #1
1995-09-30
➕
BRANSTON, Kim Marie appointed
secretary
1995-09-30
➖
BRANSTON, John Edward resigned
secretary
1995-09-30
➖
BRANSTON, Patricia Julia resigned
director
1995-05-05
🔓
Charge satisfied #3
1989-03-17
🔓
Charge satisfied #6
1988-12-02
🔒
Charge registered #8
Lender: Petrojina (UK) Limited
1987-05-06
🔒
Charge registered #7
Lender: Midland Bank PLC
1984-03-09
🔒
Charge registered #5
Lender: Midland Bank PLC
1984-03-02
🔒
Charge registered #6
Lender: Petrojina (UK) Limited
1984-03-02
🔒
Charge registered #4
Lender: John Edwin Branston
1984-03-02
🔒
Charge registered #3
Lender: John Edwin Branston
1983-12-02
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: Midland Bank PLC
1983-12-02
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: Midland Bank PLC
1983-08-19
🏢
Company incorporated
As BRADFIELD FARMS LIMITED

Owner dependency

83/100

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.
+Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

65/100

Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS

secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 43 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

medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr John Edward Branston Individual · British · DOB 04/1967 · age 59	75–100%	—	75-100% shares	06/04/2016

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 →

Similar companies

Active · Agriculture · SN postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
ARROW FENCING LTD→ 15173494 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
ASHBURY FARMS CONTRACTORS LIMITED→ 10772519 · est 2017 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—
BAKER'S AGRICULTURAL CONTRACTING LIMITED→ 05214160 · est 2004 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	21y	—	—
BECKHAMPTON STABLES LIMITED→ 01816964 · est 1984 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	41y	—	—
BEISORM LTD→ 13315314 · est 2021 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
BERRYFIELD SERVICES LTD→ 14135530 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
BEXLEY LAND RESTORATION LIMITED→ 02567935 · est 1990 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	35y	—	—
BIRDLYMES FARM LTD→ 08932058 · est 2014 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	12y	—	—
BIRDSTONE LIMITED→ 01309918 · est 1977 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	48y	—	—
BMR FARMING LIMITED→ 01681209 · est 1982 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	43y	—	—
BOOLE CROP SPECIALISTS LIMITED→ 10268196 · est 2016 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	9y	—	—
BRAMBLE ANGLING LTD→ 11103751 · est 2017 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—

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

Incorporated1983-08-19

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds

Registered office

Dodford Farm

Dodford Lane, Christian Malford

Chippenham

Wiltshire

SN15 4DE

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-06-30

Last made up to: 2024-09-30

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2027-05-04

Last: 2026-04-20

Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)

BRANSTON, Kim Marie→

secretary · appointed 1995-09-30

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

BRANSTON, John Edward→

director · ~59y

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

BRANSTON, John Edward→

secretary · resigned 1995-09-30

Resigned

BRANSTON, Patricia Julia→

director · ~79y · resigned 1995-09-30

Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

Total charges

Outstanding

Active lenders

Status:Lender:8 of 8 shown

		Type	Properties
satisfied	Petrojina (UK) Petrojina (UK) Limited	Legal charge	1 property	02/12/1988	17/07/1999
outstanding	Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC	Charge	1 property	06/05/1987	—
outstanding	Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC	Charge	1 property	09/03/1984	—
satisfied	Petrojina (UK) Petrojina (UK) Limited	Legal charge	1 property	02/03/1984	17/03/1989
satisfied	John Edwin Branston / John Edward / James Branston	Debenture	1 property	02/03/1984	17/07/1999
satisfied	John Edwin Branston / John Edward / James Branston	Legal charge	1 property	02/03/1984	05/05/1995
satisfied	Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC	Mortgage	1 property	02/12/1983	17/07/1999
satisfied	Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC	Charge	1 property	02/12/1983	17/07/1999

Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (101 total)

capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-shares

capital · SH10

2026-05-03

capital-name-of-class-of-shares

capital · SH08

2026-05-03

resolution

resolution · RESOLUTIONS

2026-05-03

memorandum-articles

incorporation · MA

2026-05-03

confirmation-statement-with-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2026-04-20

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2026-01-09