BROWN OF HOUSENRIGG LIMITED

💤Zombieactive

03462804 · ltd · incorporated 1997-11-10

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

—

year to Mar 2025

Net worth

£1.09M

book net assets

Opportunity

82/100

Exceptional

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What this business does

Primary activity: SIC 01500

Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 83-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 83). 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 (76/100)

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

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

Lenders & charges

2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)

Directors & officers

7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 2 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

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

Director network

Network not yet resolved

Filing history

82 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

82/100Exceptional

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

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 £1,085,299

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

—

Net Worth

£1.1m

↑ 2.8% YoY

Current Assets

£192k

↑ 11% YoY

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown

Metric	2025-03-31	2024-03-31
Total assets	£1.09M	£1.06M
Current assets	£192.3k	£173.3k
Net assets	£1.09M	£1.06M

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

1 signal 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

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filings

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand

2025-11-13
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-18
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-21
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-23
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-09-14
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-09-03
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2018-10-11
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2017-12-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2017-08-15
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2017-08-03
📍
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2017-08-03
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2017-08-03
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2017-08-03
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2017-08-03
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2016-12-29
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2012-04-19
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: Harpmanor Limited
2011-04-01
➖
WILSON, Linda Jane Thomlinson resigned
secretary
2003-12-15
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1998-03-25
➕
BROWN, Mary Evelyn appointed
director
1998-03-25
➖
ROSS, Peter Mitchell resigned
secretary
1998-03-25
➕
WILSON, Linda Jane Thomlinson appointed
secretary
1998-03-25
➖
BROWN, Wilfred resigned
director
1997-11-18
➕
ROSS, Peter Mitchell appointed
secretary
1997-11-18
➖
COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
1997-11-18
➕
BROWN, Wilfred appointed
director
1997-11-18
➖
COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-director
1997-11-18
➖
COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-director
1997-11-10
🏢
Company incorporated
As BROWN OF HOUSENRIGG LIMITED
1997-11-10
➕
COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary
1997-11-10
➕
COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-director
1997-11-10
➕
COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES 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.
+Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BROWN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
+Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 83 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100

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 83 years old. Natural succession window is now.
primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 28 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.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mrs Mary Evelyn Brown Individual · British · DOB 05/1943 · age 83	75–100%	75–100%	board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control	31/07/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Agriculture · CA postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
BIGGART FORESTRY SERVICES LTD→ 13482521 · est 2021 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	4y	—	—
BLENCOGO HOUSE FARM LIMITED→ 04514544 · est 2002 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	23y	—	—
BOLTON LODGE FARMS LIMITED→ 03873240 · est 1999 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	26y	—	—
BOLTON'S DAIRY LTD→ 14161933 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
BOW FARMS LIMITED→ 06670136 · est 2008 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	17y	—	—
BOWNESS FARMS LIMITED→ 05719617 · est 2006 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	20y	—	—
BRACKENBURGH HOME FARM LIMITED→ 15510392 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
BRAYSHAW FARM CONTRACTING LIMITED→ 15248826 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
BRITISH ROUGE DE L'OUEST SHEEP SOCIETY→ 02175561 · est 1987 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	38y	—	—
BROOMDYKES FARMS LIMITED→ 00997502 · est 1970 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	55y	—	—
BRYNGWYN LIMITED→ 11507879 · est 2018 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	7y	—	—
BUCKLEY TRADING LTD→ 11319138 · est 2018 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	7y	—	—

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

Incorporated1997-11-10

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC01500 — SIC 01500

Registered office

Housenrigg

Brayton

Aspatria

Cumbria

CA7 3LT

United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-12-31

Last made up to: 2025-03-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-07-15

Last: 2025-07-01

Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)

BROWN, Mary Evelyn→

director · ~83y · appointed 1998-03-25

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

ROSS, Peter Mitchell→

secretary · appointed 1997-11-18 · resigned 1998-03-25

Resigned

WILSON, Linda Jane Thomlinson→

secretary · appointed 1998-03-25 · resigned 2011-04-01

Resigned

COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-11-10 · resigned 1997-11-18

Resigned

BROWN, Wilfred→

director · ~105y · appointed 1997-11-18 · resigned 1998-03-25

Resigned

COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1997-11-10 · resigned 1997-11-18

Resigned

COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1997-11-10 · resigned 1997-11-18

Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

Total charges

Outstanding

Active lenders

Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown

			Type	Properties
	outstanding	Harpmanor Harpmanor Limited	Third party legal charge	1 property	19/04/2012	—
	outstanding	Barclays Barclays Bank PLC	Legal charge	1 property	15/12/2003	—

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