CITY ARCHITECTURE OFFICE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC233462 · ltd · incorporated 2002-06-28
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 Jul 2025
Net worth
£33.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Architectural activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with exceptional profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 58). 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).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
66 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £33,902
Net assets shrinking
Down £1,567 YoY
Cash YoY
+14%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£52k
↑ 14% YoY
Net Worth
£34k
↓ 4.4% YoY
Current Assets
£67k
↓ 8.6% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£15k£29k£44k£59k£73kJul 2024Jul 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-07-312024-07-31
Total assets£37.0k£43.0k
Current assets£67.0k£73.4k
Cash£52.5k£45.9k
Debtors£14.6k£27.5k
Net assets£33.9k£35.5k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

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

Last 30 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-03-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-11-14
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  5. 2023-01-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-04-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-12-16
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  9. 2020-03-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-07-11
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  11. 2019-07-11
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  12. 2019-07-11
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  13. 2019-07-10
    ➕
    ROYLES, Moray appointed
    secretary
  14. 2019-07-10
    ➖
    HUGHES, Alun James Burgess resigned
    secretary
  15. 2019-07-10
    ➖
    HUGHES, Alun James Burgess resigned
    director
  16. 2019-01-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2018-03-21
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  18. 2018-03-21
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  19. 2018-03-21
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control-without-name-date
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  20. 2017-11-03
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  21. 2017-03-31
    ➖
    BAINBRIDGE, Roger resigned
    director
  22. 2016-07-31
    ➕
    BAINBRIDGE, Roger appointed
    director
  23. 2011-08-01
    ➕
    HUGHES, Alun James Burgess appointed
    secretary
  24. 2011-07-31
    ➖
    TAYLOR, John resigned
    secretary
  25. 2007-06-21
    ➕
    HUGHES, Alun James Burgess appointed
    director
  26. 2002-06-28
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As CITY ARCHITECTURE OFFICE LIMITED
  27. 2002-06-28
    ➕
    ROYLES, Moray appointed
    director
  28. 2002-06-28
    ➕
    TAYLOR, John appointed
    secretary
  29. 2002-06-28
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  30. 2002-06-28
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary

Owner dependency

93/100
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.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. Early succession window.
  • 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Moray Royles
Individual · British · DOB 03/1968 · age 58
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Alun James Burgess Hughesceased 10/07/2019· 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 · EH postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
CHRIS B2B LTD→
SC465966 · est 2013 · no financials extracted
————12y——
CHROMSOC LIMITED→
SC466616 · est 2014 · no financials extracted
————12y——
CIRCUMSPECT CONSULTING LTD→
SC777555 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
CIVITAS CONSULTING LTD→
SC825626 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
CJA CONSULTING ENGINEERS LTD.→
SC470475 · est 2014 · no financials extracted
————12y——
CKY DESIGN LIMITED→
SC511126 · est 2015 · no financials extracted
————10y——
CLB 80 LIMITED→
SC807861 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
CLEARCUT TAX LIMITED→
SC750627 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
————3y——
CLEARTAXATION SOLUTIONS LIMITED→
SC473300 · est 2014 · no financials extracted
————12y——
CLH LIMITED→
SC635446 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————6y——
CLIENTA SOLUTIONS LIMITED→
SC881876 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
———————
CLIFFE CATTERALL LIMITED→
SC216859 · est 2001 · no financials extracted
————25y——
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
Incorporated2002-06-28
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC71111 — Architectural activities

Registered office

4 Caledonian Place
Edinburgh
Midlothian
EH11 2AS

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-12
Last: 2025-06-28

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

ROYLES, Moray→
secretary · appointed 2019-07-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ROYLES, Moray→
director · ~58y · appointed 2002-06-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HUGHES, Alun James Burgess→
secretary · appointed 2011-08-01 · resigned 2019-07-10
Resigned
TAYLOR, John→
secretary · appointed 2002-06-28 · resigned 2011-07-31
Resigned
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-06-28 · resigned 2002-06-28
Resigned
BAINBRIDGE, Roger→
director · ~58y · appointed 2016-07-31 · resigned 2017-03-31
Resigned
HUGHES, Alun James Burgess→
director · ~58y · appointed 2007-06-21 · resigned 2019-07-10
Resigned

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

Recent filings (66 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-04-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-03-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-11-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-30
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2020-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-03-25