CASTLE FIRE LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
04268042 · ltd · incorporated 2001-08-09
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 24.2y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Oct 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 84250
Sector: Public administration
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 24.2y
70/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 24.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
63 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-10-31 | 2024-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | — | £345.3k |
| Current assets | — | £492.1k |
| Cash | — | £43.6k |
| Debtors | — | £360.9k |
| Net assets | — | £246.5k |
| Average employees | 2100 | — |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-01-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-02-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-02-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-02-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-27📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2016-03-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-07-22📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-03-11🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2014-02-03🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Svenska Handelsbanken Ab (Publ)
- 2002-04-15🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Yorkshire Bank PLC
- 2001-08-09🏢Company incorporatedAs CASTLE FIRE LIMITED
- 2001-08-09➕RHODES, Kathleen Margaret appointedsecretary
- 2001-08-09➕RHODES, Colin appointeddirector
- 2001-08-09➕RHODES, Kathleen Margaret appointeddirector
- 2001-08-09➕SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-08-09➖SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-08-09➕INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2001-08-09➖INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
91/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
86/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 25 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 25 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Colin Rhodes Individual · British · DOB 06/1960 · age 66 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Kathleen Margaret Rhodes Individual · British · DOB 02/1960 · age 66 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAY AIR LTD→ 14989748 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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| C S RETIREMENT SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 12321751 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| CANYONINGUK LIMITED→ 14143871 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| CATER-KWIK INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ 10051223 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| CAWLEY BROTHERS LIMITED→ 11424357 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| CHILWORTH SCHOOLS LIMITED→ 05468590 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| COMMUNICATION NORTH WEST LTD→ 14130364 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| COMPLETE MOVE REMOVALS LIMITED→ 04276998 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| CONKER IT LTD→ 15142661 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CONSUMER LEGAL ASSOCIATION LTD→ 17032442 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2001-08-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC84250 — SIC 84250
Registered office
Ghyll Mill
Beehive Lane, New Hutton
Kendal
Cumbria
LA8 0AJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-07-31
Last made up to: 2025-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-06-28
Last: 2026-06-14
Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)
RHODES, Kathleen Margaret→
Activesecretary · appointed 2001-08-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
RHODES, Colin→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2001-08-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
RHODES, Kathleen Margaret→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2001-08-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-08-09 · resigned 2001-08-09
INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2001-08-09 · resigned 2001-08-09
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Svenska Handelsbanken Ab (Publ) | A registered charge | 1 property | 03/02/2014 | — | |
| satisfied | Virgin Money Yorkshire Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 15/04/2002 | 11/03/2014 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (63 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-06-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-02-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-12
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-01-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-01-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-02-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-02-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-16