1ST HORIZON SURVEYING & ENGINEERING LIMITED
- · Hygiene score: 85 → 90
Picture improved over the last 30 days — 1 positive signal vs 0 negative.
- ↑Hygiene score: 85 → 90
No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.
No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.
Opportunity 69/100 (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. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Refinance opportunity
5 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 12.3y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 12.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 30 | 3300 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (39 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-09-09📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2025-09-09📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-09-09📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2025-09-09📄capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figurecapital · SH19
- 2025-09-09📄legacycapital · SH20
- 2025-09-09⚠️legacyinsolvency · CAP-SS
- 2025-09-09📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-09-09📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-09-09📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2025-09-09📄legacycapital · SH20
- 2025-09-09📄capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figurecapital · SH19
- 2025-09-09⚠️legacyinsolvency · CAP-SS
- 2025-09-09📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-09-05📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-09-05🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2025-07-21📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2025-07-21📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2025-07-21📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-07-17📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2025-07-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-07-17📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-07-16➖GARSIDE, Ailsa Jane resignedsecretary
- 2025-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-26🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2016-12-06🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2016-11-04🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD
- 2014-12-18🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2014-10-06🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2014-04-02🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC
- 2013-04-20➕GARSIDE, Ailsa Jane appointedsecretary
- 2013-04-20➖GARSIDE, Daniel Stewart resignedsecretary
- 2006-04-24🏢Company incorporatedAs 1ST HORIZON SURVEYING & ENGINEERING LIMITED
- 2006-04-24➕GARSIDE, James Edward appointeddirector
- 2006-04-24➕GARSIDE, Daniel Stewart appointedsecretary
- 2006-04-24➕SDG SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2006-04-24➖SDG SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2006-04-24➕SDG REGISTRARS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2006-04-24➖SDG REGISTRARS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 20 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
1 high · 1 med ·Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.
Evidence: 2025-09-09: legacy; 2025-09-09: legacy
Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Group structure
1st Horizon Capital Ltd is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1st Horizon Capital Ltd Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 09/09/2025 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr James Edward Garsideceased 09/09/2025· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control
- Mrs Ailsa Jane Garsideceased 16/07/2025· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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9 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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 26/03/2019 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD | A registered charge | — | 04/11/2016 | — | |
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 18/12/2014 | 05/09/2025 | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 06/10/2014 | — | |
| satisfied | Hitachi Capital (UK) Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 02/04/2014 | 06/12/2016 |