ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
01689817 · ltd · incorporated 1983-01-05
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
—
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Architectural activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.

Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 39.4y

15/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 39.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (77/100)

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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
13 officers (2 active, 13 linked, 7 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
122 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.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Mar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Average employees100100

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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (45 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-06-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-04-06
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  5. 2023-04-06
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  6. 2023-04-06
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  7. 2023-04-06
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  8. 2023-03-31
    ➖
    FLETCHER, David James resigned
    director
  9. 2023-01-03
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  10. 2022-07-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2022-03-01
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  12. 2021-08-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2020-12-15
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  14. 2020-12-15
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  15. 2020-12-15
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  16. 2020-12-11
    ➕
    FIRTH, Alastair Duncan appointed
    secretary
  17. 2020-12-11
    ➖
    JHAWAR, Sarika resigned
    secretary
  18. 2020-12-11
    ➖
    JHAWAR, Sarika resigned
    director
  19. 2020-09-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  20. 2020-01-15
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  21. 2019-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  22. 2019-05-31
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  23. 2019-05-30
    ➕
    FIRTH, Alastair Duncan appointed
    director
  24. 2019-05-30
    ➖
    FLETCHER, Janice resigned
    secretary
  25. 2019-05-30
    ➕
    JHAWAR, Sarika appointed
    secretary
  26. 2019-05-30
    ➕
    JHAWAR, Sarika appointed
    director
  27. 2006-11-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  28. 2002-04-01
    ➕
    FLETCHER, Janice appointed
    secretary
  29. 2002-03-31
    ➖
    WATTS, Mark John resigned
    secretary
  30. 2002-03-31
    ➖
    WATTS, Mark John resigned
    director
  31. 2001-04-01
    ➖
    FISHER, Anthony Frederick resigned
    secretary
  32. 2001-04-01
    ➕
    WATTS, Mark John appointed
    secretary
  33. 2001-04-01
    ➕
    WATTS, Mark John appointed
    director
  34. 2001-01-19
    ➖
    BOARDMAN, John Russell resigned
    director
  35. 1996-12-05
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  36. 1994-02-01
    ➕
    BOARDMAN, John Russell appointed
    director
  37. 1993-10-31
    ➖
    COHAM, John, Director resigned
    director
  38. 1992-11-07
    ➕
    FISHER, Anthony Frederick appointed
    secretary
  39. 1992-09-22
    ➖
    HOLLIDAY, Heather resigned
    secretary
  40. 1992-01-06
    ➖
    BARRETT, David Leslie resigned
    director
  41. 1992-01-06
    ➕
    COHAM, John, Director appointed
    director
  42. 1989-02-15
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  43. 1989-02-06
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  44. 1987-02-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  45. 1983-01-05
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN LIMITED

Owner dependency

75/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material 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

55/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple 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.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 43 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

clean
No 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Alastair Duncan Firth
Individual · British · DOB 07/1975 · age 51
75–100%
—75-100% shares01/04/2023
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mr David James Flecherceased 31/03/2023· 50-75% shares
  • Mrs Janice Fletcherceased 31/03/2023· 25-50% shares

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated1983-01-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC71111 — Architectural activities

Registered office

Oldfield Dell
Oldfield Road
Windermere
LA23 2BY
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-15
Last: 2025-12-01

Officers (2 active · 11 resigned)

FIRTH, Alastair Duncan→
secretary · appointed 2020-12-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FIRTH, Alastair Duncan→
director · ~51y · appointed 2019-05-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FISHER, Anthony Frederick→
secretary · appointed 1992-11-07 · resigned 2001-04-01
Resigned
FLETCHER, Janice→
secretary · appointed 2002-04-01 · resigned 2019-05-30
Resigned
HOLLIDAY, Heather→
secretary · resigned 1992-09-22
Resigned
JHAWAR, Sarika→
secretary · appointed 2019-05-30 · resigned 2020-12-11
Resigned
WATTS, Mark John→
secretary · appointed 2001-04-01 · resigned 2002-03-31
Resigned
BARRETT, David Leslie→
director · ~75y · resigned 1992-01-06
Resigned
BOARDMAN, John Russell→
director · ~80y · appointed 1994-02-01 · resigned 2001-01-19
Resigned
COHAM, John, Director→
director · ~83y · appointed 1992-01-06 · resigned 1993-10-31
Resigned
FLETCHER, David James→
director · ~70y · resigned 2023-03-31
Resigned
JHAWAR, Sarika→
director · ~50y · appointed 2019-05-30 · resigned 2020-12-11
Resigned
WATTS, Mark John→
director · ~52y · appointed 2001-04-01 · resigned 2002-03-31
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Debenture1 property22/11/2006—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Debenture1 property06/02/198905/12/1996
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property09/02/198715/02/1989
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (122 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-15
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2023-04-06
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-04-06
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-04-06
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-04-06
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-01-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-25
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-03-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-21