ELMSDOWN FORESTRY LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
08800976 · ltd · incorporated 2013-12-03
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
£80.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 02200
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 9.8y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 9.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)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
75
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (1 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
31 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £80,197
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£80k
↑ 40% YoY
Current Assets
—
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 | £226.6k | £231.6k |
| Current assets | — | £8.7k |
| Net assets | £80.2k | £57.1k |
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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-05📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-11-01➖WALBRIN, James Christopher resigneddirector
- 2021-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-11📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2019-12-11🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2018-11-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-05📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2016-08-28🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Bibby Financial Services LTD (As Security Trustee)
- 2016-01-05📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-09-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2013-12-03🏢Company incorporatedAs ELMSDOWN FORESTRY LIMITED
- 2013-12-03➕WALBRIN, Nicholas appointeddirector
- 2013-12-03➕WALBRIN, James Christopher appointeddirector
Owner dependency
75/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
58/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 13 years.
- 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 · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Nicholas Walbrin Individual · English · DOB 07/1982 · age 44 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · BN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAVID BICKERSTAFF FISHING LIMITED→ 11853251 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| DE ROSA-MAXTED (PROPERTIES) LIMITED→ 15003691 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| DEANS FARM ESTATE LTD→ 10894145 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| DOG SPLASH LIMITED→ 15627886 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| EATON THORNE EQUESTRIAN LTD→ 14084856 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| EBFC LTD→ 16700411 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ECOSYLVA CONSULTANCY LIMITED→ 10382271 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| EDEN TREE SURGERY LIMITED→ 14785500 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ELANITI LTD.→ 14214272 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ELITE TREE SURGERY LIMITED→ 16891287 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ELMWOOD ARBORICULTURE LTD→ 16394164 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| EQUALUXE THERAPY LTD→ 16474972 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2013-12-03
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC02200 — SIC 02200
Registered office
Stream Cottage
Moor Lane
Ringmer
East Sussex
BN8 5UR
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-17
Last: 2025-12-03
Officers (1 active · 1 resigned)
WALBRIN, Nicholas→
Activedirector · ~44y · appointed 2013-12-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WALBRIN, James Christopher→
Resigneddirector · ~46y · appointed 2013-12-03 · resigned 2021-11-01
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Bibby Financial Services Bibby Financial Services LTD (As Security Trustee) | A registered charge | 4 properties | 28/08/2016 | 11/12/2019 |
Recent filings (31 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-11-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-12-31