SCOTTISH SEABIRD CENTRE

🌳Matureactive

SC172288 · private-limited-guarant-nsc-limited-exemption · incorporated 1997-02-12

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

hardening · 12-months

Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.

· Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage

🔒Estimated value

—

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Turnover

—

not disclosed

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

74/100

Strong

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What this business does

Primary activity: Museum activities

Sector: Arts, entertainment & recreation

ALSO REGISTERED FOR

91030Operation of historical sites and buildings and similar visitor attractions
91040Botanical and zoological gardens and nature reserve activities

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 73-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (73/100, director aged 73). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 6 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

7 live charges · 6 lenders · oldest 27.7y

35/100

too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

· Oldest live charge is 27.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· 6 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
· Legal-friction score 38/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (58/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile

address, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

No iXBRL financials extracted

Lenders & charges

7 charges (7/7 with lender, 7/7 with type)

Directors & officers

56 officers (11 active, 56 linked, 55 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared

Director network

4 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

196 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

74/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Some moderate concerns — review flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days

filings

Last 90 days

filing

• 1 confirmation-statement

Last 180 days

filings

• 1 confirmation-statement
• 1 officers

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (136 events)Click to expand

2026-02-10
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-01-29
➖
BRESLIN, Stephen Gerard, Dr resigned
director
2025-11-24
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-11-17
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-11-13
➕
CONNELLY, Alison Patricia appointed
director
2025-10-03
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2025-08-18
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-08-14
➕
RICHARDSON, Andrew John appointed
director
2025-08-14
➖
ARNOLD, Christopher James resigned
director
2025-07-14
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-05-22
➕
MCCRACKEN, Robert appointed
director
2024-09-27
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2024-08-22
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-08-16
➖
VOTIER, Stephen Charles, Professor resigned
director
2023-11-24
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-11-24
🔓
Charge satisfied #2
2023-11-02
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-11-02
🔓
Charge satisfied #1
2023-10-31
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-10-31
🔓
Charge satisfied #6
2023-10-27
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-10-27
🔓
Charge satisfied #7
2023-10-18
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2023-09-04
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-09-04
🔓
Charge satisfied #5
2023-08-09
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-08-09
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-08-09
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-08-09
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-07-31
➖
ECKLES, Elizabeth Anne resigned
director
2023-07-31
➖
LILLEY, Richard, Dr resigned
director
2023-07-31
➖
MACANDREW, Hamish resigned
director
2023-06-28
➕
STODDART, Neil John appointed
director
2023-05-19
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-05-19
🔓
Charge satisfied #4
2023-04-19
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-04-11
➖
HOPKINS, Charlotte Rachael, Dr resigned
director
2023-02-03
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-01-19
➕
KJAERSIDE, Kim appointed
director
2023-01-19
➕
MCFARLANE, Heather appointed
director
2022-06-30
➖
MURRAY, Diana Mary resigned
director
2022-04-30
➖
FLEMING, Martha Jayne resigned
director
2021-06-24
➖
ALDER, Fiona Ann resigned
director
2021-01-21
➕
HOUSDEN, Stuart David appointed
director
2021-01-21
➖
WINDMILL, David Michael resigned
director
2021-01-20
➕
PATERSON, David Maxwell, Professor appointed
director
2021-01-20
➕
VOTIER, Stephen Charles, Professor appointed
director
2020-09-10
➖
BAXTER, John Mowbray, Professor resigned
director
2020-08-01
➕
HOPKINS, Charlotte Rachael, Dr appointed
director
2020-08-01
➕
LILLEY, Richard, Dr appointed
director

Showing most recent 50 of 136 events

Owner dependency

55/100

Moderate — manageable with handover

Some founder dependency, but not acute. A structured handover period should cover most risk.

FACTORS

-10 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 73 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

60/100

Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 73 years old. Natural succession window is now.

Red flags

2 med ·

2 director resignations in last 12 months

medium

Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.

Evidence: ARNOLD, Christopher James resigned 2025-08-14; BRESLIN, Stephen Gerard, Dr resigned 2026-01-29

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern

medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr Stuart David Housden Individual · British · DOB 06/1953 · age 73	—	—	sig. influencesignificant influence · trust interest	21/01/2021

2 historic (ceased) PSCs

Mr David Michael Windmillceased 21/01/2021· significant influence · trust interest
Mr Tom Brockceased 01/07/2018· significant influence · trust interest

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 · Leisure & entertainment · EH postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
FESTIVALS EDINBURGH LIMITED→ SC331673 · est 2007	£179.5k £139.6k–£219.4k	—	—	6	18y	86	70y
ALHAMBRA THEATRE TRUST→ SC345187 · est 2008 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	17y	83	77y
ARCHERFIELD & FIDRA GOLF COURSES LIMITED→ SC260327 · est 2003 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	22y	83	79y
ASSEMBLY THEATRE LIMITED→ SC092088 · est 1985	—	—	£185.5k	—	41y	83	78y
BRAID HILLS SHOP LIMITED→ SC177390 · est 1997 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	28y	83	70y
CHEEK BY JOWL THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED→ SC078954 · est 1982 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	43y	83	74y
CORRIES (MUSIC) LTD., THE→ SC056353 · est 1974	—	—	£2	—	51y	83	89y
DM AUDIO LIMITED→ SC245613 · est 2003	—	—	—	9	23y	83	61y
HISTORIC CHURCHES SCOTLAND→ SC162884 · est 1996 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	30y	83	77y
MAGNETIC NORTH THEATRE PRODUCTIONS LIMITED→ SC199210 · est 1999 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	26y	83	75y
RADICAL TRAVEL GROUP LIMITED→ SC136334 · est 1992 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	34y	83	61y
THE SCOTCH WHISKY HERITAGE CENTRE LIMITED→ SC100141 · est 1986 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	39y	83	77y

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.

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Company details

Statusactive

Typeprivate-limited-guarant-nsc-limited-exemption

Incorporated1997-02-12

Jurisdictionscotland

Primary SIC91020 — Museum activities

Registered office

Scottish Seabird Centre

The Harbour

North Berwick

East Lothian

EH39 4SS

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-10-31

Last made up to: 2025-01-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2027-03-04

Last: 2026-02-18