Offers Invited
Hilco is seeking offers to acquire the intellectual property and tangible assets of Ballantine Castings Limited (In Interim Liquidation) (“Ballantine” or the “Company”) on behalf of the Interim Liquidator of the Company, Graeme Bain of Johnston Carmichael LLP.
Ballantine has a rich and expansive history of metalwork in the UK and beyond, tracing its origins to the early 1820s and operating continuously from Bo’ness in Scotland for over 200 years. The Company evolved from a local iron-founder into one of the UK’s best-known producers of architectural, engineering, and drainage castings. From a long-established base at the New Grange Foundry, Ballantine supplied projects across the UK and Europe, combining traditional craftsmanship with modern production methods.
At the heart of the Company’s operation was a proprietary pattern archive of c. 250,000 designs, ranging from manhole covers and bollards to ornate railings and lampposts. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Ballantine played a leading role in the cast iron renaissance that characterised the Victorian urban landscape, producing seven miles of balustrading and lamps for London’s Thames Embankment, along with prominent civic installations in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Some of the Company’s notable projects include ironwork for Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, North Bridge in Edinburgh, and Albert Bridge over the River Clyde.
The Company built a strong reputation in the heritage and infrastructure sectors, supporting both new-build and restoration projects with castings in grey iron, ductile iron, wear-resistant iron, and aluminium. Ballantine became a go-to supplier for local authorities, contractors, and conservation architects looking for bespoke, high-quality solutions. Ballantine offered full in-house capability, enabling cost-effective delivery of complex or short-run commissions and supporting long-term repeat contracts with public bodies and specialist contractors.
The assets now offered for sale include the Company’s rich brand legacy, extensive design and associated equipment, representing a rare opportunity to acquire a recognised legacy name with deep technical capability and continued relevance across infrastructure, heritage, and specialist casting sectors.
The Ballantine name is one of the most historic and respected in British foundry work, with origins dating back over 200 years and an uninterrupted presence in Bo’ness since the early 19th century. Ballantine operated at the intersection of civic design, public infrastructure, and traditional ironworking, producing artefacts that remain part of the urban fabric to this day.
The brand became synonymous with the use of cast iron as an art form, with the brand associated with well-adorned embankments, bridges, walkways, and public squares from Westminster to Glasgow. Ballatine’s work is as much a part of British architectural heritage as the buildings it surrounds.
In modern times, the Ballantine brand is associated with authenticity in the restoration sector. Acquiring the Ballantine brand presents the opportunity to consume ownership of one of Britain’s most enduring industrial identities, offering immediate credibility and access to a customer base that values expertise, tradition, and trust.
The Company likely holds unregistered rights in the “Ballantine” and “Ballantine Castings” brand names and logos.
At the heart of Ballantine’s intellectual property portfolio is a proprietary archive of over 250,000 casting patterns, built up over decades of production. The Company’s archive represents one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of its kind in the UK, covering a wide range of applications across the municipal, architectural, infrastructure, and heritage sectors.
Organised into key categories, including drainage castings, street furniture, architectural features, and engineered components, the Company’s archive includes physical patterns, moulds, and associated technical drawings for manhole covers, gully gratings, bollards, railings, lamp columns, and other bespoke cast items. Many of these designs are unique to Ballantine and reflect direct collaborations with councils, conservation architects, and infrastructure clients.
Alongside the pattern inventory, the Company kept a substantial base of embedded technical knowledge, including annotated workshop drawings and tooling references, historical production notes and client-specific modifications, casting samples, reference components and master moulds.
For acquirers, the Company’s archive offers not only a route to commercialise legacy designs but also the technical foundation to deliver specialist castings that few other UK foundries are equipped to produce.
The Company holds the primary ballantinecastings.co.uk domain name.
The Company likely holds the copyright in the website content previously hosted at its domain, showcasing Ballantine’s heritage, core capabilities, and areas of specialism.
Rights in the Company’s LinkedIn and Twitter social media accounts are also available to acquire.
Full details on the Company’s social media accounts are available via a virtual data room.
In addition to the Ballantine’s IP assets listed above, also included in the sale are the Company’s tangible assets, which include, but is not limited to, various machinery and equipment used for pattern making, metal analysis, furnaces/melting, moulding, fettling and lifting. These assets are well suited to similar companies working within the iron and steel industry.
Details of the tangible assets being offered for sale will be sent to all known interested parties. All visits to the site to view the assets, will be by appointment only. If you wish to view the assets, please contact Gary Taylor or Les Reid to arrange a suitable day/time.
All expressions of interest and indicative offers are to be directed to Hilco in writing. A Bid Submission Form is available on request. Please contact Hilco to gain access to a virtual data room for further information on signing a confidentiality agreement.
Hilco is acting as exclusive agent to the Company and its Interim Liquidator in connection with the proposed sale of some or all of the Company’s assets. The Interim Liquidator acts as an agent of the Company and without personal liability.
All sales are made strictly on an “as is, where is” basis. Only such right, title and interest (if any) as the Company may have in the assets will be transferred to a purchaser. No warranties, guarantees, or representations (express or implied) are provided by the Company, its Interim Liquidator, or Hilco in respect of the assets or any information supplied. All parties must rely on their own enquiries and due diligence. Any information provided is for convenience only and has not been independently verified.
All offers are subject to the addition of VAT at the prevailing rate, where applicable. A non-refundable deposit equal to 20% of the agreed purchase price must be paid by the successful purchaser within 48 hours of offer acceptance. Payment of the deposit grants the purchaser the exclusive right to proceed with the acquisition of the relevant assets for a limited period and on the terms agreed. A Buyer’s Premium of 10% of the final purchase price is payable by the successful purchaser in addition to the agreed purchase price, is non-negotiable and is payable at the same time and in the same manner as the purchase price and forms a condition of sale.
Legal completion must occur within five (5) business days of offer acceptance, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Company and its Interim Liquidator.
