ASHLEY AT THE FORGE LIMITED
🏛️Establishedactive
11002533 · ltd · incorporated 2017-10-09
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
60/100
Worth a look
What this business does
Primary activity: Unlicenced restaurants and cafes
Sector: Accommodation & food service
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed admin-neglect survivor — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 60/100 (worth a look), bankability 27/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (45/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 8.0y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 8.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (56/100)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
3 officers (3 active, 3 linked, 3 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
16 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
60/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Business quality
40
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
49
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
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 (24 events)Click to expand
- 2022-01-12📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2022-01-12🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Nationwide Finance Limited
- 2021-10-29📄restoration-order-of-courtrestoration · AC92
- 2020-02-11📄gazette-dissolved-voluntarygazette · GAZ2(A)
- 2020-02-11🏁Company dissolved
- 2019-05-02📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charles-court-order-extend-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2019-03-09📄dissolution-voluntary-strike-off-suspendeddissolution · SOAS(A)
- 2019-02-09📄dissolution-voluntary-strike-off-suspendeddissolution · SOAS(A)
- 2019-01-08📄gazette-notice-voluntarygazette · GAZ1(A)
- 2018-12-18📄dissolution-application-strike-off-companydissolution · DS01
- 2018-11-06➕STEPHENS, Gloria appointeddirector
- 2018-11-06📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2018-11-05📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2018-11-05🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Alfandari Private Equities LTD
- 2018-11-05🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Alfandari Private Equities LTD
- 2018-06-28➕HILTON, Porsha Louise appointeddirector
- 2018-06-28📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2018-06-26📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2018-06-22🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Alfandari Private Equities Limited
- 2017-10-09🏢Company incorporatedAs ASHLEY AT THE FORGE LIMITED
- 2017-10-09➕STEPHENS, Ashley Leighton appointeddirector
- 2017-10-09📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2017-10-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2017-10-09📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
73/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 77 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
60/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 77 years old. Natural succession window is now.
Red flags
2 high ·Accounts overdue
highStatutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.
Evidence: Next due: 2019-07-09
Confirmation statement overdue
highAnnual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2019-10-04
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Ashley Leighton Stephens Individual · British · DOB 06/1973 · age 53 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 09/10/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Hospitality · NP postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A LITTLE CHATTER LTD→ 15883766 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABDUR RAHMAN LTD→ 16490092 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADEFEREDIG CBC→ 16663238 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADFER ESTATES LIMITED→ 16671312 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ANGELS HOTEL LIMITED→ 12832534 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ANNETTE'S CAFE DINER LIMITED→ 04940752 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ANTALYA DELICIOUS LTD→ 16671629 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ARCADIA AFTER HOURS LIMITED→ 15505177 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ARCHIE WILLIAMS & CO LTD→ 12824325 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ASC CATERING LTD→ 14423174 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ASHLEY AT THE UNICORN LTD→ 11562480 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ASHVALE CLUB LTD→ 16646685 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
11 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
Incorporated2017-10-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC56102 — Unlicenced restaurants and cafes
Registered office
13 Market Square
Brynmawr
Blaenau Gwent
NP23 4AJ
Wales
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2019-07-09OVERDUE
Last made up to: —
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2019-10-04OVERDUE
Last: 2018-09-20
Officers (3 active · 0 resigned)
HILTON, Porsha Louise→
Activedirector · ~41y · appointed 2018-06-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
STEPHENS, Ashley Leighton→
Activedirector · ~53y · appointed 2017-10-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
STEPHENS, Gloria→
Activedirector · ~77y · appointed 2018-11-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Nationwide Finance Nationwide Finance Limited | A registered charge | 7 properties | 12/01/2022 | — | |
| outstanding | Alfandari Private Equities Alfandari Private Equities LTD | A registered charge | 1 property | 05/11/2018 | — | |
| outstanding | Alfandari Private Equities Alfandari Private Equities LTD | A registered charge | 7 properties | 05/11/2018 | — | |
| outstanding | Alfandari Private Equities Alfandari Private Equities Limited | A registered charge | 7 properties | 22/06/2018 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (16 total)
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2022-01-12
restoration-order-of-court
restoration · AC92
2021-10-29
gazette-dissolved-voluntary
gazette · GAZ2(A)
2020-02-11
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charles-court-order-extend-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2019-05-02
dissolution-voluntary-strike-off-suspended
dissolution · SOAS(A)
2019-03-09
dissolution-voluntary-strike-off-suspended
dissolution · SOAS(A)
2019-02-09
gazette-notice-voluntary
gazette · GAZ1(A)
2019-01-08
dissolution-application-strike-off-company
dissolution · DS01
2018-12-18
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2018-11-06
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2018-11-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2018-09-20
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2018-06-28
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2018-06-26
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2017-10-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2017-10-09