HISTORIC LOTHIAN PROTECTION & DEVELOPMENT LIMITED
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 73). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 6.2y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 6.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-08-31 | 2023-08-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £9.4k | £9.4k |
| Current assets | £988.9k | £988.9k |
| Cash | £53 | £53 |
| Debtors | £127.7k | £127.7k |
| Net assets | £9.4k | £9.4k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
1 signal 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
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2025-05-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-04-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-04📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2020-02-28🔒Charge registered #1Lender: John G Gray (Homes) Limited
- 2019-11-26📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2019-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-05-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-05-23📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-05-29📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-05-29📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2015-05-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-05-01➖CHESTER, Edward Henry Grove resignedsecretary
- 2002-07-05➕GRAY, John Gordon, Mr. appointeddirector
- 2002-07-05➕CHESTER, Edward Henry Grove appointedsecretary
- 2002-07-05➖BURNESS resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-07-05➖BURNESS (DIRECTORS) LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-05-21🏢Company incorporatedAs HISTORIC LOTHIAN PROTECTION & DEVELOPMENT LIMITED
- 2002-05-21➕BURNESS appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-05-21➕BURNESS (DIRECTORS) LIMITED appointedcorporate-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 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 73 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 73 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 24 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
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr. John Gordon Gray Individual · British · DOB 02/1953 · age 73 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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.
See pricing →Similar companies
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8 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 · 3 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | John G Gray (Homes) John G Gray (Homes) Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 28/02/2020 | — |