BILLINGHAM MACHINE COMPANY LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
03484137 · ltd · incorporated 1997-12-19
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 Feb 2025
Net worth
£1.13M
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 25620Machining
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 61). 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

3 live charges · oldest 28.5y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 28.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · 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
75
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
79 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
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
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 £1,125,567
Cash YoY
+27%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£454k
↑ 27% YoY
Net Worth
£1.1m
↑ 9.0% YoY
Current Assets
£1.4m
↑ 7.4% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£274k£548k£822k£1.1m£1.4mFeb 2024Feb 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-02-282024-02-29
Total assets£1.22M£1.15M
Current assets£1.37M£1.28M
Cash£453.5k£356.1k
Debtors£892.9k£906.7k
Net assets£1.13M£1.03M

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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-11-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-02-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-07-06
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  6. 2022-02-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-02-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-12-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-11-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-01-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  11. 2016-08-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  12. 2016-02-02
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  13. 2015-12-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2015-01-07
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2014-11-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2014-04-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  17. 2014-04-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  18. 2005-11-30
    ➖
    MESSHAM, Kay resigned
    director
  19. 2003-10-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  20. 2002-12-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  21. 1999-01-31
    ➖
    SIMPSON, Horace Edmund resigned
    director
  22. 1998-02-09
    ➕
    SIMPSON, Horace Edmund appointed
    director
  23. 1998-02-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  24. 1997-12-19
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BILLINGHAM MACHINE COMPANY LIMITED
  25. 1997-12-19
    ➕
    MESSHAM, Edith Ann appointed
    secretary
  26. 1997-12-19
    ➕
    MESSHAM, Paul Anthony appointed
    director
  27. 1997-12-19
    ➕
    LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 1997-12-19
    ➖
    LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  29. 1997-12-19
    ➕
    MESSHAM, Kay appointed
    director
  30. 1997-12-19
    ➕
    LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  31. 1997-12-19
    ➖
    LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

93/100
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.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
  • 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

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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Paul Anthony Messham
Individual · British · DOB 08/1965 · age 61
75–100%
—75-100% shares01/06/2016

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

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
Incorporated1997-12-19
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC25110 — Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures

Registered office

Bewley House
Alvis Close
Billingham
Cleveland
TS23 4JB

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-02
Last: 2025-12-19

Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)

MESSHAM, Edith Ann→
secretary · appointed 1997-12-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MESSHAM, Paul Anthony→
director · ~61y · appointed 1997-12-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-12-19 · resigned 1997-12-19
Resigned
MESSHAM, Kay→
director · ~59y · appointed 1997-12-19 · resigned 2005-11-30
Resigned
SIMPSON, Horace Edmund→
director · ~92y · appointed 1998-02-09 · resigned 1999-01-31
Resigned
LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1997-12-19 · resigned 1997-12-19
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property17/10/2003—
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Guarantee and debenture1 property27/12/200204/04/2014
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Guarantee & debenture1 property09/02/199804/04/2014
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (79 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-12-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-01-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-11-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-02-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-20
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2022-07-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-02-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-02-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2019-12-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-12-19