ACKLAND HILL PAPENFUS SOLICITORS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
07957203 · ltd · incorporated 2012-02-21
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
£231.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
70/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Solicitors
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 70/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -56% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 5 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
63 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
70/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
50
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £231,750
Net assets shrinking
Down £14,836 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 56% YoY
Cash YoY
-56%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£22k
↓ 56% YoY
Net Worth
£232k
↓ 6.0% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | £22.1k | £50.0k |
| Net assets | £231.8k | £246.6k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
4 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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 address
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-11-24📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-10-27📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-10-24📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-10-24📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-10-24📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-10-20➖HILL, Adrian resigneddirector
- 2025-10-20➖PAPENFUS, Kenneth Louis Bolitho resigneddirector
- 2025-01-23📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-28📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-02-28📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-10-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-30📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-04-30📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-04-30📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-04-30📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2015-05-01➕HILL, Adrian appointeddirector
- 2015-05-01➕PAPENFUS, Kenneth Louis Bolitho appointeddirector
- 2015-05-01➕PAPENFUS, Kenneth Louis Bolitho appointeddirector
- 2015-05-01➖PAPENFUS, Kenneth Louis Bolitho resigneddirector
- 2014-10-20➖ROBINSON, Bernard Mackenzie resigneddirector
- 2012-02-21🏢Company incorporatedAs ACKLAND HILL PAPENFUS SOLICITORS LIMITED
- 2012-02-21➕ACKLAND, Sarah Jane appointeddirector
- 2012-02-21➕ROBINSON, Bernard Mackenzie appointeddirector
Owner dependency
90/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "ACKLAND" — strong identity link between founder and business.
Succession & seller-readiness
58/100
Strong succession signalMultiple 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.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 years.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
1 med ·2 director resignations in last 12 months
mediumMultiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: HILL, Adrian resigned 2025-10-20; PAPENFUS, Kenneth Louis Bolitho resigned 2025-10-20
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Sarah Jane Ackland Individual · British · DOB 12/1978 · age 48 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Adrian Hillceased 20/10/2025· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Mr Kenneth Louis Bolitho Papenfusceased 20/10/2025· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
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
Active · Professional services · EX postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3SGROUP LIMITED→ 05143582 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTANCY ANGELS LTD→ 07581280 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTANCY SOLUTIONS (EXETER) LIMITED→ 14353482 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTANTS INC. (UK) LTD→ 13514609 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTANTS INC. LTD→ 12313109 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTING ELEVATION LIMITED→ 12851334 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTING FOR PROFITS SERVICES LIMITED→ 16246888 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTING ON US BOOKKEEPING LTD→ 11846220 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ACEPUP LTD→ 17124937 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACFPV LTD→ 16583150 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACHIEVE COACHING LIMITED→ 16618817 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACM ASSET SOLUTIONS LTD→ 15218667 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2012-02-21
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC69102 — Solicitors
Registered office
Ah Solicitors Longbrook House
New North Road
Exeter
EX4 4GL
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-03
Last: 2025-10-20
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
ACKLAND, Sarah Jane→
Activedirector · ~48y · appointed 2012-02-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HILL, Adrian→
Resigneddirector · ~63y · appointed 2015-05-01 · resigned 2025-10-20
PAPENFUS, Kenneth Louis Bolitho→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 2015-05-01 · resigned 2025-10-20
PAPENFUS, Kenneth Louis Bolitho→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 2015-05-01 · resigned 2015-05-01
ROBINSON, Bernard Mackenzie→
Resigneddirector · ~56y · appointed 2012-02-21 · resigned 2014-10-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (63 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-24
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-11-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-27
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-10-27
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-10-24
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-10-24
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-10-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-21
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-01-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-28
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-02-28
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-02-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-30