GRATICULES OPTICS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
01395088 · ltd · incorporated 1978-10-20
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 6.8y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 26701
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 67-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 70/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 67). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · oldest 6.8y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 6.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 20/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (60/100)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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
17 officers (5 active, 17 linked, 11 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
11 connected companies via shared directors
78
Filing history
141 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (51 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-01📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2025-11-27🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2025-10-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2025-10-27📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2025-10-27📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2025-10-27📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2024-11-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-11📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2024-11-11📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2024-11-11📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2024-01-29📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-01-19➖CREEDON, Mike resigneddirector
- 2023-12-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-06📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2023-12-06📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2023-12-06📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2023-10-04📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-09-29➕BROWN, Stephen Mark appointeddirector
- 2022-11-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-25📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2022-09-25📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-09-25📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2022-09-21➕SHARMA, Amitabh appointedsecretary
- 2022-09-21➖ABELL, Jonathan Paul resignedsecretary
- 2022-09-21➖ABELL, Jonathan Paul resigneddirector
- 2022-08-30📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2022-08-17➕SHARMA, Amitabh appointeddirector
- 2021-12-19📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2021-11-01🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2019-11-29🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2019-09-10🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2019-03-01➕BLACKFORD, Neil appointeddirector
- 2019-03-01➕SMETHAM, Mark Christian appointeddirector
- 2019-01-10➕ABELL, Jonathan Paul appointedsecretary
- 2019-01-10➖HOUGH, Clare resignedsecretary
- 2019-01-10➖HOUGH, Clare resigneddirector
- 2019-01-02➕ABELL, Jonathan Paul appointeddirector
- 2019-01-02➕CREEDON, Mike appointeddirector
- 2015-05-25➖ELLWOOD, Paul Cyril resigneddirector
- 2015-05-25➕HOUGH, Clare appointeddirector
- 2011-08-31➖ATKIN, Philip resigneddirector
- 2011-08-31➕ELLWOOD, Paul Cyril appointeddirector
- 2006-01-12➖SAXTON, William Owen, Dr resigneddirector
- 2001-10-24➖FARNHAM, Avril resignedsecretary
- 2001-10-24➕HOUGH, Clare appointedsecretary
- 1999-11-29➖EDWARDS, Mark Harvey resignedsecretary
- 1999-11-29➕FARNHAM, Avril appointedsecretary
- 1998-01-09➖SHAVE, John Donald resigneddirector
- 1997-02-27➖DELAHUNTY, Martin Glenn resignedsecretary
- 1997-02-27➕EDWARDS, Mark Harvey appointedsecretary
Showing most recent 50 of 51 events
Owner dependency
55/100
Moderate — manageable with handoverSome founder dependency, but not acute. A structured handover period should cover most risk.
FACTORS
- -4 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 67 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
50/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 67. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Group structure
Sdi Group Plc is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
Sdi Group Plc
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
⬇
GRATICULES OPTICS LIMITED
This company · 01395088
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sdi Group Plc Corporate entity | 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.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. DEW LTD→ 16106229 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AF PIPES LTD→ 13182648 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AGA COMPOSITES LTD→ 14707511 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AGD CARPENTRY LTD→ 16338903 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AI NOLUTECH LTD→ 14911210 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AI PRECISION ENGINEERING LIMITED→ 14966056 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AIR NEXT LTD→ 15013073 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AIRCRAFT ADVENTURE LTD→ 16736231 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES LTD→ 16877330 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AIRFLY LIMITED→ 15318359 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AIRFORCE ENGINEERING LTD→ 15318622 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AIRLINENUTA LTD→ 17124045 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated1978-10-20
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC26701 — SIC 26701
Registered office
Beacon House
Nuffield Road
Cambridge
Cambridgeshire
CB4 1TF
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-03
Last: 2025-08-20
Officers (5 active · 12 resigned)
Active
BLACKFORD, Neil→
Activedirector · ~67y · appointed 2019-03-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BROWN, Stephen Mark→
Activedirector · ~53y · appointed 2023-09-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SHARMA, Amitabh→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2022-08-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMETHAM, Mark Christian→
Activedirector · ~57y · appointed 2019-03-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ABELL, Jonathan Paul→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2019-01-10 · resigned 2022-09-21
DELAHUNTY, Martin Glenn→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1997-02-27
EDWARDS, Mark Harvey→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1997-02-27 · resigned 1999-11-29
FARNHAM, Avril→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1999-11-29 · resigned 2001-10-24
HOUGH, Clare→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2001-10-24 · resigned 2019-01-10
ABELL, Jonathan Paul→
Resigneddirector · ~65y · appointed 2019-01-02 · resigned 2022-09-21
ATKIN, Philip→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · resigned 2011-08-31
CREEDON, Mike→
Resigneddirector · ~66y · appointed 2019-01-02 · resigned 2024-01-19
ELLWOOD, Paul Cyril→
Resigneddirector · ~74y · appointed 2011-08-31 · resigned 2015-05-25
HOUGH, Clare→
Resigneddirector · ~54y · appointed 2015-05-25 · resigned 2019-01-10
SAXTON, William Owen, Dr→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · resigned 2006-01-12
SHAVE, John Donald→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · resigned 1998-01-09
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 27/11/2025 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 01/11/2021 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 29/11/2019 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 10/09/2019 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (141 total)
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-12-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2025-10-27
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2025-10-27
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2025-10-27
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2025-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2024-11-11
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2024-11-11
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2024-11-11
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2024-11-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-20
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-01-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2023-12-06
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2023-12-06
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2023-12-06