BALLENCRIEFF GARDENS LTD
🌱Startupactive
SC829305 · ltd · incorporated 2024-11-18
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c.
Sector: Arts, entertainment & recreation
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 79-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (60/100, director aged 79). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: low (54/100)Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
3 filings
60
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
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (5 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-30📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-11-18🏢Company incorporatedAs BALLENCRIEFF GARDENS LTD
- 2024-11-18➕MCLAREN, Elma appointeddirector
- 2024-11-18➕MCLAREN, Peter appointeddirector
- 2024-11-18📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
86/100
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 age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +Young company: Only 1.4 years old — management layer unlikely to be developed.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 79 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Elma Mclaren Individual · Scottish · DOB 12/1950 · age 76 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 18/11/2024 |
Mr Peter Mclaren Individual · Scottish · DOB 12/1947 · age 79 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 18/11/2024 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EDINBURGH CITY TRAVEL LIMITED→ SC823880 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL CULTURE SUMMIT FOUNDATION→ SC474473 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| EDINBURGH SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL C.I.C.→ SC773811 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| EK FITNESS ACADEMY LTD→ SC800478 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| EVENTS WITH MOXIE LTD→ SC606021 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| EWEN FERGUSON GOLF LIMITED→ SC546355 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| FABLE & LUNE LTD→ SC852595 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FATDROID LIMITED→ SC882881 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FENCING FUN LIMITED→ SC440207 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| FIREFLY ARTS LIMITED→ SC123773 · est 1990 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 36y | — | — |
| FITNESS LEAGUE SCOTLAND LTD→ SC784717 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| FIVE SISTERS ZOO LIMITED→ SC377723 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
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8 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
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See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2024-11-18
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC93290 — Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c.
Registered office
Ballencrieff Gardens Ballencrieff Gardens
Ballencrieff
Longniddry
East Lothian
EH32 0PJ
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-08-18
Last made up to: —
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-01
Last: 2025-11-17
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
MCLAREN, Elma→
Activedirector · ~76y · appointed 2024-11-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MCLAREN, Peter→
Activedirector · ~79y · appointed 2024-11-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (3 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-01
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-11-30
incorporation-company
incorporation · NEWINC
2024-11-18