BATTENS SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
03448858 · ltd · incorporated 1997-10-13
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
81/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Solicitors
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 81/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
12 officers (3 active, 12 linked, 8 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
78 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
81/100Exceptional
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
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (37 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-01📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-09-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-06📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-10-11📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-09-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-24📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-02-24📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-02-12➖EDWARDS, Raymond Martin resigneddirector
- 2021-02-12➖STEPHENS, David Christopher resigneddirector
- 2020-03-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2015-08-17➕LEVINE, Brian Alon appointeddirector
- 2010-08-19➕STEPHENS, David Christopher appointeddirector
- 2010-08-17➖HUGHES, Graham John resigneddirector
- 2007-10-03➕GILMOUR, Katherine Elizabeth appointedsecretary
- 2007-10-03➕GILMOUR, Katherine Elizabeth appointeddirector
- 2007-10-03➖BOVELL, John Anthony Philip resignedsecretary
- 2007-10-03➖BOVELL, John Anthony Philip resigneddirector
- 2006-02-10➕BOVELL, John Anthony Philip appointedsecretary
- 2006-02-10➖CARRETTA, Caroline resignedsecretary
- 2006-02-10➕BOVELL, John Anthony Philip appointeddirector
- 2006-02-10➖CARRETTA, Caroline resigneddirector
- 2005-04-20➕CARRETTA, Caroline appointedsecretary
- 2005-04-20➖QUANTOCK SHULDHAM, Melanie Anne resignedsecretary
- 2005-04-20➕CARRETTA, Caroline appointeddirector
- 2005-04-20➖QUANTOCK SHULDHAM, Melanie Anne resigneddirector
- 1998-08-17➕HUGHES, Graham John appointeddirector
- 1997-10-13🏢Company incorporatedAs BATTENS SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED
- 1997-10-13➕QUANTOCK SHULDHAM, Melanie Anne appointedsecretary
- 1997-10-13➕EDWARDS, Raymond Martin appointeddirector
- 1997-10-13➕QUANTOCK SHULDHAM, Melanie Anne appointeddirector
Owner dependency
76/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
69/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
- 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Katherine Elizabeth Gilmour Individual · British · DOB 01/1977 · age 49 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Raymond Martin Edwardsceased 03/10/2023· 25-50% shares
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 · Professional services · BA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A4 ASBESTOS GROUP LIMITED→ 13043138 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AC OFFSHORE ENGINEERING LIMITED→ 10944945 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTING ADVICE SERVICES LIMITED→ 09813599 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTING ADVICE SUPPLIES LIMITED→ 08876836 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ACER ACCOUNTANCY LIMITED→ 07949208 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ACUTO LTD→ 15570115 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ADEPTABILITY LIMITED→ 15352505 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ADHL HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 11913279 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ADM PROJECT CONSULTANTS LTD→ 13615178 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ADNS CONSULTANCY LTD→ 15767883 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADOLESCENT SAFEGUARDING CONSULTANCY LTD→ 13765837 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ADRIAN BILES-WOOD ARCHITECTS LTD→ 16775765 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated1997-10-13
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC69102 — Solicitors
Registered office
Maltravers House
Petters Way
Yeovil
Somerset
BA20 1SH
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-17
Last: 2025-10-03
Officers (3 active · 9 resigned)
GILMOUR, Katherine Elizabeth→
Activesecretary · appointed 2007-10-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GILMOUR, Katherine Elizabeth→
Activedirector · ~49y · appointed 2007-10-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LEVINE, Brian Alon→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2015-08-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BOVELL, John Anthony Philip→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2006-02-10 · resigned 2007-10-03
CARRETTA, Caroline→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-04-20 · resigned 2006-02-10
QUANTOCK SHULDHAM, Melanie Anne→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1997-10-13 · resigned 2005-04-20
BOVELL, John Anthony Philip→
Resigneddirector · ~54y · appointed 2006-02-10 · resigned 2007-10-03
CARRETTA, Caroline→
Resigneddirector · ~63y · appointed 2005-04-20 · resigned 2006-02-10
EDWARDS, Raymond Martin→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 1997-10-13 · resigned 2021-02-12
HUGHES, Graham John→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · appointed 1998-08-17 · resigned 2010-08-17
QUANTOCK SHULDHAM, Melanie Anne→
Resigneddirector · ~64y · appointed 1997-10-13 · resigned 2005-04-20
STEPHENS, David Christopher→
Resigneddirector · ~74y · appointed 2010-08-19 · resigned 2021-02-12
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (78 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-09-11
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-04-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-09-04
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-08-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-11
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-10-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-09-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-09-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-09-14
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-02-24
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-02-24