Company behind Chimera Climbing Canterbury goes into liquidation, third of the group's Kent climbing companies to wind up in a month

The company that ran Chimera Climbing Canterbury, the bouldering centre on Wincheap Industrial Estate, has gone into liquidation. South East Climbing - Canterbury Limited resolved on 29 July to wind up voluntarily, and Andrew Hook and Julie Anne Palmer of BTG Begbies Traynor were appointed joint liquidators the same day, according to notices published in the London Gazette on 3 August. The Gazette records the type of liquidation as creditors’ voluntary, the route used when a company cannot continue because of its debts.

The centre itself has not announced a closure. At the time of writing, Chimera Climbing’s website still lists the Canterbury wall at Unit 1, 22 Maynard Road as open with its usual hours, seven days a week. The site’s footer now names a different operator: Chimera Climbing Community CIC, a community interest company. This article reports what the public registers record; we have not been able to confirm anything beyond that, and climbers should check with the centre directly for anything that affects a booking or membership.

Three companies wound up in three weeks

The Canterbury liquidation is the third across the group in under a month. Companies House filings show South East Climbing - Chatham Limited, which ran the group’s wall at Chatham Quays, passed its winding-up resolution on 8 July, with a voluntary liquidator appointed on 21 July. South East Climbing Limited, the original company in the group, registered in 2013 at the Tunbridge Wells centre on North Farm Road, passed an extraordinary resolution to wind up on 22 July; its liquidation filings reached Companies House on 5 August.

The Canterbury company was the youngest of the three, incorporated on 21 December 2023. Its registered office remains Unit 1, 22 Maynard Road, and its last filed accounts cover the year to 30 September 2025.

The brand carries on under a community interest company

All three Chimera centres, Canterbury, Chatham and Tunbridge Wells, are still advertised as open on the group’s website, which now states it is operated by Chimera Climbing Community CIC. That company was incorporated on 8 April 2025, well over a year before the winding-up resolutions, is registered at the Tunbridge Wells centre, and is listed as active with “operation of sports facilities” as its business. A community interest company is a limited company that must use its assets and profits for community benefit.

What the registers do not show is the commercial arrangement between the liquidated companies and the CIC, for example what happened to the equipment, the leases or staff. Those details normally appear later in the liquidators’ reports, which are filed publicly on Companies House. We will report what they say when they are published.

What it means for you

If you climb at Chimera Canterbury, the wall is, on everything publicly available, still operating; nothing in the filings says the centre is closing. But if the old company owes you money, for example a membership payment or block booking made to South East Climbing - Canterbury Limited that was not honoured, you would be a creditor in the liquidation. The Gazette notice names Elizabeth Gatehouse at BTG Begbies Traynor as the contact for further information, on 01722 435190, and creditors can register a claim with the liquidators.

If you paid by credit card and lost money, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act can make the card provider jointly liable for purchases over £100; debit card payments can sometimes be recovered through chargeback. Citizens Advice explains both routes.

We have found no public statement from Chimera about the liquidations; this story will be updated if one is made. If you are visiting the centre by car, Wincheap Industrial Estate is off the A28 on the south side of the city; our guide to parking in Canterbury covers the nearby options.