DARLINGTON AND DAUGHTERS
🌳Matureactive
06255483 · private-unlimited · incorporated 2007-05-22
Investment thesis
Unencumbered property vehicle — clean asset-backed target with refinance headroom.
Why interesting: Property-holding entity with no live charges; straightforward asset-backed case.
Why risky: Values depend on title and valuation; property-specific market exposure.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Asset base steady — strong defensive profile, no urgency cue.
What changed my view
Last 30 days
No material changes in the last 30 days.
Last 90 days
No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.
Last 180 days
No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 10390
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 68209Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 88-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 88). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: low (54/100)Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.
Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
50 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-18📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-06-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-05-10📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2022-11-23📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-11-23📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-11-22➖DICKSON, Wendy Elizabeth resigneddirector
- 2022-06-27📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2022-06-27📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2022-06-22📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2022-06-17📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2019-08-19📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-08-19📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-08-19📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2019-08-19📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-08-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-08-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-08-19📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2019-06-05➖DARLINGTON, Thomas Sproston resigneddirector
- 2007-05-22🏢Company incorporatedAs DARLINGTON AND DAUGHTERS
- 2007-05-22➕PICKERING, Sarah Marion appointedsecretary
- 2007-05-22➕DARLINGTON, Marion Elizabeth appointeddirector
- 2007-05-22➕PICKERING, Sarah Marion appointeddirector
- 2007-05-22➕BRITANNIA COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2007-05-22➖BRITANNIA COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2007-05-22➕DARLINGTON, Thomas Sproston appointeddirector
- 2007-05-22➕DICKSON, Wendy Elizabeth appointeddirector
- 2007-05-22➕DEANSGATE COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2007-05-22➖DEANSGATE COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
98/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "DARLINGTON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 88 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
89/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 88 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- 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 19 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Marion Elizabeth Darlington Individual · British · DOB 10/1938 · age 88 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 04/03/2020 |
Mrs Sarah Marion Pickering Individual · British · DOB 08/1969 · age 57 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/04/2016 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Miss Wendy Elizabeth Dicksonceased 22/11/2022· significant influence
- Mr Thomas Sproston Darlingtonceased 05/06/2019· significant influence
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOSEPH HELER LIMITED→ 01071486 · est 1972 | £13.58M £10.01M–£17.15M | — | — | 17300 | 53y | 92 | 69y |
| BUCKLEY FOODS LIMITED→ 04517233 · est 2002 | £811.1k £597.7k–£1.02M | £39.70M | — | 9600 | 23y | 93 | 80y |
| NEWPORT SILOS LIMITED→ 00569911 · est 1956 | £310.7k £229.0k–£392.5k | £517.0k | — | 0 | 69y | 93 | 80y |
| BARTEC PAPER & PACKAGING LIMITED→ 01620531 · est 1982 | — | — | — | 1700 | 44y | 83 | 59y |
| CHEMCOLLOIDS LIMITED→ 02512530 · est 1990 | — | — | — | 6 | 36y | 83 | 75y |
| BEESONS LIMITED→ 01069258 · est 1972 | — | — | — | 25 | 53y | 82 | 58y |
| CHESHIRE CREAMERIES LTD→ 03739926 · est 1999 | — | — | £45.2k | — | 27y | 82 | 64y |
| G.C. & I.G. WILLIAMS LIMITED→ 00793547 · est 1964 | — | — | — | 27 | 62y | 82 | 65y |
| M.E. WATERHOUSE LIMITED→ 01877781 · est 1985 | — | — | £1.93M | — | 41y | 82 | 86y |
| PACE'S FARM EGGS LIMITED→ 04926264 · est 2003 | — | — | — | 31 | 22y | 82 | 94y |
| BEARTOWN BREWERY LIMITED→ 08626869 · est 2013 | — | — | £598.1k | — | 12y | 80 | 75y |
| MERRYFALL CAKES BAKERY LIMITED→ 15145961 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Typeprivate-unlimited
Incorporated2007-05-22
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC10390 — SIC 10390
Registered office
Unit 47a Lancaster Fields
Crewe Gates Farm Ind Est
Crewe
Cheshire
CW1 6FF
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: —
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-06-05
Last: 2026-05-22
Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)
PICKERING, Sarah Marion→
Activesecretary · appointed 2007-05-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DARLINGTON, Marion Elizabeth→
Activedirector · ~88y · appointed 2007-05-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
PICKERING, Sarah Marion→
Activedirector · ~57y · appointed 2007-05-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BRITANNIA COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2007-05-22 · resigned 2007-05-22
DARLINGTON, Thomas Sproston→
Resigneddirector · ~99y · appointed 2007-05-22 · resigned 2019-06-05
DICKSON, Wendy Elizabeth→
Resigneddirector · ~55y · appointed 2007-05-22 · resigned 2022-11-22
DEANSGATE COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2007-05-22 · resigned 2007-05-22
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (50 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-28
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-06-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-06-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-23
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2023-05-10
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-11-23
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-11-23
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2022-06-27
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2022-06-27
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2022-06-22
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2022-06-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-27