DESIGN PRACTICE LIMITED

⚰️Wound downdissolved
SC158495 · ltd · incorporated 1995-06-08
Investment thesis
Company dissolved — not a live target.
Why interesting: Historical record only; useful for precedent research.
Why risky: Not transactable.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
51/100
Worth a look
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Development of building projects
Sector: Construction
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed unclear — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 51/100 (worth a look), bankability 50/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 82). Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.

Data confidence

Overall: low (45/100)

Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
53 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
51/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.

Business quality
10
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
49
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
Signal strength
90
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 (39 events)Click to expand
  1. 2016-01-19
    ⚠️
    gazette-dissolved-liquidation
    gazette · GAZ2
  2. 2016-01-19
    🏁
    Company dissolved
  3. 2015-10-19
    ⚠️
    liquidation-court-order-early-dissolution
    insolvency · O/C EARLY DISS
  4. 2012-10-30
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address
    address · AD01
  5. 2012-10-30
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  6. 2011-12-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  7. 2011-11-09
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  8. 2011-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  9. 2010-11-04
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  10. 2010-07-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  11. 2010-06-15
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  12. 2009-10-19
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  13. 2009-10-19
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  14. 2009-07-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2008-12-17
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363a
  16. 2008-10-20
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363a
  17. 2008-07-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 2008-06-16
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363a
  19. 2008-04-09
    ➖
    LANG, Iain James resigned
    director
  20. 2008-04-09
    📄
    legacy
    officers · 288b
  21. 2007-07-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  22. 2007-06-11
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363a
  23. 2007-06-11
    📄
    legacy
    officers · 288c
  24. 2006-07-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  25. 2006-06-09
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363s
  26. 2005-08-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  27. 2005-06-09
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363s
  28. 2002-11-13
    ➕
    MCCULLOCH, John Philip appointed
    director
  29. 1999-08-31
    ➕
    MEAD, Dorothy appointed
    secretary
  30. 1999-08-31
    ➖
    PERCIVAL, Elspeth resigned
    secretary
  31. 1999-08-31
    ➖
    MCCULLOCH, John Philip resigned
    director
  32. 1995-06-08
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As DESIGN PRACTICE LIMITED
  33. 1995-06-08
    ➕
    MCCULLOCH, John Philip appointed
    secretary
  34. 1995-06-08
    ➖
    MCCULLOCH, John Philip resigned
    secretary
  35. 1995-06-08
    ➕
    PERCIVAL, Elspeth appointed
    secretary
  36. 1995-06-08
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  37. 1995-06-08
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  38. 1995-06-08
    ➕
    LANG, Iain James appointed
    director
  39. 1995-06-08
    ➕
    MCCULLOCH, John Philip appointed
    director

Owner dependency

100/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 82 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 82 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 31 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

2 high ·
Company dissolved
high

Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.

Evidence: Dissolved on 2016-01-19

2 insolvency-related filings on record
high

Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.

Evidence: 2016-01-19: gazette-dissolved-liquidation; 2015-10-19: liquidation-court-order-early-dissolution

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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.

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Company details

Statusdissolved
Typeltd
Incorporated1995-06-08
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC41100 — Development of building projects

Registered office

Finlay House 10-14 West Nile Street
Glasgow
G1 2PP

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2011-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —

Officers (0 active · 5 resigned)

MEAD, Dorothy→
secretary · appointed 1999-08-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MCCULLOCH, John Philip→
director · ~82y · appointed 2002-11-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MCCULLOCH, John Philip→
secretary · appointed 1995-06-08 · resigned 1995-06-08
Resigned
PERCIVAL, Elspeth→
secretary · appointed 1995-06-08 · resigned 1999-08-31
Resigned
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 1995-06-08 · resigned 1995-06-08
Resigned
LANG, Iain James→
director · ~57y · appointed 1995-06-08 · resigned 2008-04-09
Resigned
MCCULLOCH, John Philip→
director · ~82y · appointed 1995-06-08 · resigned 1999-08-31
Resigned

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

Recent filings (53 total)

gazette-dissolved-liquidation
gazette · GAZ2
2016-01-19
liquidation-court-order-early-dissolution
insolvency · O/C EARLY DISS
2015-10-19
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address
address · AD01
2012-10-30
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2012-10-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2011-12-31
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2011-11-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2011-03-31
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2010-11-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2010-07-01
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2010-06-15
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2009-10-19
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2009-10-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2009-07-28
legacy
annual-return · 363a
2008-12-17
legacy
annual-return · 363a
2008-10-20