COTTESBROOKE FARMING COMPANY LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
03314175 · ltd · incorporated 1997-02-06
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
—
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Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 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

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 22.5y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 22.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (56/100)

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
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 2 with DOB)
76
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
102 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.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-02-25
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
  3. 2025-02-19
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  4. 2025-02-18
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
  5. 2024-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2024-01-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-02-03
    📄
    second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
    confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
  8. 2023-01-26
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  9. 2023-01-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-01-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-12-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-02-12
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  14. 2019-02-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  15. 2019-01-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2018-02-15
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  17. 2017-09-29
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: C. Hoare & Co
  18. 2014-10-11
    ➖
    MACDONALD-BUCHANAN, John resigned
    director
  19. 2013-04-09
    ➖
    SALE, Henry John Walker resigned
    secretary
  20. 2003-12-30
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Amc Bank Limited
  21. 2002-09-16
    ➕
    SALE, Henry John Walker appointed
    secretary
  22. 2002-09-16
    ➖
    TAIT, Rodney resigned
    secretary
  23. 1997-09-04
    ➖
    ALMY, Paul Alan resigned
    secretary
  24. 1997-09-04
    ➕
    TAIT, Rodney appointed
    secretary
  25. 1997-02-19
    ➕
    MACDONALD-BUCHANAN, Alastair Reginald appointed
    director
  26. 1997-02-19
    ➕
    ALMY, Paul Alan appointed
    secretary
  27. 1997-02-19
    ➖
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 1997-02-19
    ➕
    MACDONALD-BUCHANAN, John appointed
    director
  29. 1997-02-19
    ➖
    INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  30. 1997-02-06
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As COTTESBROOKE FARMING COMPANY LIMITED
  31. 1997-02-06
    ➕
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  32. 1997-02-06
    ➕
    INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

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 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — 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 66. 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 29 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 29 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

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

🏛️
Montrose Trustees Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
COTTESBROOKE FARMING COMPANY LIMITED
This company · 03314175

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

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Montrose Trustees Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control02/03/2021
Mr Alastair Reginald Macdonald-Buchanan
Individual · British · DOB 11/1960 · age 66
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

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 →
🔒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
Incorporated1997-02-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds

Registered office

10 Queen Street Place
London
EC4R 1AG
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-10
Last: 2026-01-27

Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)

MACDONALD-BUCHANAN, Alastair Reginald→
director · ~66y · appointed 1997-02-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ALMY, Paul Alan→
secretary · appointed 1997-02-19 · resigned 1997-09-04
Resigned
SALE, Henry John Walker→
secretary · appointed 2002-09-16 · resigned 2013-04-09
Resigned
TAIT, Rodney→
secretary · appointed 1997-09-04 · resigned 2002-09-16
Resigned
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-02-06 · resigned 1997-02-19
Resigned
MACDONALD-BUCHANAN, John→
director · ~101y · appointed 1997-02-19 · resigned 2014-10-11
Resigned
INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1997-02-06 · resigned 1997-02-19
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
C. Hoare & Co
A registered charge1 property29/09/2017—
outstanding
Amc Bank
Amc Bank Limited
Legal charge1 property30/12/2003—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (102 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-28
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
2025-02-25
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-02-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-18
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
2025-02-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-03
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2023-02-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-27
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2023-01-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-28