GUARD ARCHAEOLOGY LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC384640 · ltd · incorporated 2010-09-01
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
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£318.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other professional, scientific and technical activities n.e.c.
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -44% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 11.4y

30/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 11.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.

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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (4 active, 4 linked, 4 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
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
82/100Exceptional
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £318,231
Net assets shrinking
Down £362,451 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 44% YoY
Cash YoY
-44%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£397k
↓ 44% YoY
Net Worth
£318k
↓ 53% YoY
Current Assets
£718k
↓ 35% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£223k£445k£668k£890k£1.1mDec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Total assets£318.2k£692.3k
Current assets£718.0k£1.11M
Cash£396.6k£706.2k
Debtors£320.3k£405.8k
Net assets£318.2k£680.7k

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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-09-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-09-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-07-22
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  4. 2023-09-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-12-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-08-18
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  8. 2021-08-18
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  9. 2020-12-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-10-20
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  11. 2020-10-19
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  12. 2020-10-19
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  13. 2020-08-19
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  14. 2020-08-01
    ➕
    BAILIE, Warren Robert appointed
    director
  15. 2020-01-14
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  16. 2020-01-07
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  17. 2020-01-07
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  18. 2019-12-24
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  19. 2019-12-20
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  20. 2019-12-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Pauline Ann Macshannon
  21. 2019-12-19
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Santander UK PLC
  22. 2019-09-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  23. 2014-12-08
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Santander UK PLC
  24. 2010-09-01
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As GUARD ARCHAEOLOGY LIMITED
  25. 2010-09-01
    ➕
    ATKINSON, John Andrew appointed
    director
  26. 2010-09-01
    ➕
    MACSHANNON, Pauline Ann appointed
    director
  27. 2010-09-01
    ➕
    TOOLIS, Ronan Patrick appointed
    director

Owner dependency

58/100
Moderate — manageable with handover

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

FACTORS
  • -4 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

73/100
Strong succession signal

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 16 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.)

Group structure

The Guard Archaeology Limited Employee Ownership Trust is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
The Guard Archaeology Limited Employee Ownership Trust
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
⬇
GUARD ARCHAEOLOGY LIMITED
This company · SC384640

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
The Guard Archaeology Limited Employee Ownership Trust
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting20/12/2019
3 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mr John Andrew Atkinsonceased 20/12/2019· 25-50% shares
  • Mrs Pauline Ann Macshannonceased 20/12/2019· 25-50% shares
  • Mr Ronan Patrick Toolisceased 12/09/2018· 25-50% shares

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

6 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
Incorporated2010-09-01
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC74909 — Other professional, scientific and technical activities n.e.c.

Registered office

52 Elderpark Workspace 100 Elderpark Street
Glasgow
G51 3TR
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-15
Last: 2025-09-01

Officers (4 active · 0 resigned)

ATKINSON, John Andrew→
director · ~64y · appointed 2010-09-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BAILIE, Warren Robert→
director · ~49y · appointed 2020-08-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MACSHANNON, Pauline Ann→
director · ~60y · appointed 2010-09-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
TOOLIS, Ronan Patrick→
director · ~54y · appointed 2010-09-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Pauline Ann Macshannon
A registered charge—20/12/2019—
satisfied
Santander
Santander UK PLC
A registered charge1 property19/12/201918/08/2021
outstanding
Santander
Santander UK PLC
A registered charge—08/12/2014—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (53 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-27
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-07-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-28
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-08-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-31
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2020-10-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-19