Architecture practices to acquire in the UK

Name: Architecture practices to acquire in the UK
Creator: Firmbase
License: https://firmbase.co/terms

Updated 9 November 2026

Looking to acquire an architecture practice in the UK? Firmbase ranks 1,741 architecture practices using public company information to help buyers prioritise firms for research and potential outreach. The Approach Score ranks firms using public signals including director age and tenure, ownership, business scale, financial strength and recent changes. These firms are not listed for sale, and the ranking does not indicate that an owner is considering a sale.

The median firm has 8 staff and has been in business for 15 years.

An architect's appointment can cover early design alone or extend through technical drawings and the building work, with fees agreed for those stages. For a buyer acquiring an architecture practice, the stages clients have commissioned matter as much as the way each appointment calculates payment. Fees may follow time spent, a fixed sum or a share of construction costs, so compare appointments on the same basis.

Bring design leadership into your architecture group

An architecture group depends on project leads who can carry work from design through to delivery. Firmbase covers 1,741 UK limited-company and LLP architecture businesses with five or more staff. Use the ranking to decide whose recent projects you research first. Focus on the ability to serve clients well across several sites before comparing financial accounts.

The company register can help identify independent practices with concentrated ownership. Among the firms here, 24% have one person holding 75% or more. Companies House records cannot show an owner's plans or how clients would view a change of ownership. They can help you order research before any direct discussion.

Use location and building type to organise the first shortlist, then investigate the strength of each project team. Review the continuity of the design team where clients have commissioned long-running work. Examine how project files and decisions are documented so another architect can understand them. Use each Approach Score to decide which firms to inspect first, while keeping project quality and future workload as separate diligence questions.

For a buyer of architecture practices, this is a sourcing tool, not a list of businesses for sale. The Architects Registration Board keeps a UK-wide register of individual architects rather than a register of practices. Check the people who use the protected title, then examine professional indemnity cover and the terms of client appointments. A change in company ownership does not itself tell you which project relationships or design responsibilities will continue.

1,741

Firms

22%

Every director 55+

24%

Held 75%+ by one person

Median years in business

Median headcount

£250k to £500k

Median turnover band

includes our estimates

Key facts

The Architects Registration Board keeps the definitive UK-wide register of individual architects. Architects Registration Board

The Architects Register can be searched by an architect's name or location. Architects Registration Board

The Architects Registration Board says that anyone who is not on the Architects Register is not an architect. Architects Registration Board

The first 25 firms, in Approach Score order

Rank	Firm	Approach Score	The facts behind the score
1	Randell Design Group Birdham, West Sussex	Approach Score 88/100	In post since 2010 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 23 staff · turnover est. £1.6m Net assets £1m (Sep 2024) Director resigned Oct 2025 Company no. 07378943 · Companies House randelldesigngroup.com
2	Carlton Design Westbourne, Dorset	Approach Score 88/100	1 director aged 65-69, 1 aged 60-64, 1 aged 55-59 · longest in post since 2012 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 20 staff · turnover est. £1.1m Net assets £389k (Jul 2026) Director resigned Feb 2025 · charge satisfied Aug 2025 · PSC register changed Apr 2026 Company no. 07326416 · Companies House carltondesignpartnership.com
3	GMG Project & Cost Consultants Newcastle, Staffordshire	Approach Score 87/100	Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2002 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £1.5m Net assets £821k (Jul 2025) Company no. 04468303 · Companies House gmg-associates.co
4	LEE Fitzgerald Architects	Approach Score 87/100	Longest in post since 1998 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover £278k Net assets £270k (Mar 2025) Director resigned Feb 2026 Company no. 03512908 · Companies House leefitzgerald.co.uk
5	Ellis Belk Poole, Dorset	Approach Score 87/100	1 director aged 60-64, 1 aged 55-59 · longest in post since 2001 2 individuals hold 75%+ · independent More about this firm 13 staff · turnover est. £975k Net assets £505k (Jul 2024) Director resigned Dec 2025 · PSC register changed Dec 2025 Company no. 04035260 · Companies House ellisbelk.com
6	Inskip GEE Architects	Approach Score 86/100	Longest in post since 2003 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 13 staff · turnover est. £929k Net assets £574k (Nov 2025) Company no. 02415604 · Companies House inskip-gee.co.uk
7	AMS Ltd Edinburgh	Approach Score 86/100	Director aged 65-69 · in post since 1995 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 16 staff · turnover est. £1.8m Net assets £855k (Jul 2024) Company no. SC161953 · Companies House amsltd.net
8	Hoopers Architects Ipswich	Approach Score 86/100	Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2007 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 7 staff · turnover est. £778k Net assets £429k (Mar 2025) Company no. 06084378 · Companies House hoopersarchitects.co.uk
9	Trinity Architecture Poole, Dorset	Approach Score 86/100	Director aged 65-69 · in post since 1996 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 9 staff · turnover est. £435k Net assets £59k (Sep 2025) Company no. 03161621 · Companies House trinity-architecture.com
10	JeffreyBell+Company Altrincham, Cheshire	Approach Score 85/100	In post since 2011 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 11 staff · turnover est. £541k Net assets £801k (Feb 2025) Company no. 07519600 · Companies House jeffreybellarchitects.co.uk
11	Doonan Architects Northumberland	Approach Score 85/100	In post since 1997 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 8 staff · turnover est. £434k Net assets £472k (Sep 2025) Company no. 03416021 · Companies House doonanarchitects.co.uk
12	HMAD Architects Uffculme, Devon	Approach Score 85/100	Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2010 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £393k Net assets £55k (Aug 2025) Charge satisfied Nov 2024 Company no. 04674309 · Companies House hmad.co.uk
13	SPS Architectural Redruth, Cornwall A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 85/100	1 director aged 70 or over, 2 aged 55-59 · longest in post since 2006 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £286k Net assets £23k (Dec 2024) Company no. 05758809 · Companies House spsarchitectural.co.uk
14	Duffy Associates	Approach Score 85/100	In post since 2010 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £560k Net assets £318k (May 2025) Company no. 05638410 · Companies House duffyassociates.co.uk
15	Allan Curran Architects Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh	Approach Score 84/100	In post since 2004 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £362k Net assets £133k (Mar 2025) Company no. NI049710 · Companies House allanarc.com
16	PR Associates Pershore, Worcestershire	Approach Score 84/100	1 director aged 65-69, 1 aged 55-59 · longest in post since 2010 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 14 staff · turnover est. £816k Net assets £233k (Sep 2026) Company no. 07384000 · Companies House prassociates.org
17	IAN H BIX Associates Kings Lynn, Norfolk	Approach Score 84/100	In post since 2013 1 individual holds 75%+ · corporate owner More about this firm 6 staff · turnover est. £438k Net assets £174k (May 2025) Company no. 08378830 · Companies House ianbix.co.uk
18	Reid Brewin Architects London	Approach Score 84/100	Longest in post since 2015 2 individuals hold 75%+ · independent More about this firm 23 staff · turnover est. £858k Net assets £1.5m (Jan 2026) Company no. 09393504 · Companies House rb-architectes.com/en
19	Echo Architecture Richmond	Approach Score 84/100	2 directors aged 60-64 · longest in post since 2016 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 25 staff · turnover est. £308k Net assets £2.6m (Mar 2025) Company no. 10197896 · Companies House echoarchitecture.com
20	Thomas Croft Architects London, Greater London	Approach Score 84/100	Longest in post since 2006 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 9 staff · turnover est. £186k Net assets £720k (Apr 2025) Company no. 05793939 · Companies House thomascroft.com
21	Weave Architects London	Approach Score 84/100	Director aged 65-69 · in post since 2023 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 6 staff · turnover est. £262k Net assets £38k (Jul 2025) Company no. 14980145 · Companies House weave-architects.com
22	Scurr Architects ST Albans, Hertfordshire	Approach Score 84/100	1 director aged 70 or over, 1 aged 65-69 · longest in post since 2010 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 24 staff · turnover est. £1.2m Net assets £599k (Mar 2025) Company no. 07201718 · Companies House scurr.co.uk
23	Tang & Associates Manchester	Approach Score 83/100	In post since 2011 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £495k Net assets £62k (Mar 2026) Company no. 07796000 · Companies House tangassociates.co.uk
24	RCA Structures Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire	Approach Score 83/100	1 director aged 60-64, 1 aged 55-59 · longest in post since 2002 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 8 staff · turnover est. £1.8m Net assets £1.2m (Dec 2025) Company no. 01311947 · Companies House rcastructures.co.uk
25	BHP Design Birmingham	Approach Score 83/100	1 director aged 70 or over, 1 aged 60-64 · longest in post since 2012 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 16 staff · turnover est. £1.8m Net assets £1.3m (Mar 2025) Company no. 07963293 · Companies House bhp-design.co.uk

1,716 more firms are in the list, in Approach Score order.

You're seeing the first 25. Buy all 1,741 for £1,540 + VAT, with the facts behind each score, director names, shareholders and financials.

Buy the list of all 1,741 firms, with director names, ages and shareholders

Each row comes with the facts behind its score, financials with dates and contact details.

What's in the file

One row per firm, in Approach Score order, as Excel + CSV.

The score and the firm

Approach Score

The facts behind the score

Points for each part of the score

Financials with dates

Website

Publicly available contact details, where identified

Directors and shareholders

Director names

Director birth month and year

Director appointment dates

Named shareholders with more than 25%, with ownership bands

Some people with significant control appear as Other individual, with no further detail. Director email lookups are not included.

Frequently asked questions

What approach suits an architecture practice owner?

At the first message, identify yourself and describe the kind of design practice you hope to build. Say you found their details on the public Companies House register through Firmbase. Tell them how to object to your use of the details and stop if they do. Screen any number against the Telephone Preference Service and the Corporate Telephone Preference Service before calling. Respect confidentiality around current designs and clients.

Where can I check an architect's registration?

The Architects Registration Board maintains the Architects Register for individual architects across the UK. Search the people whose professional status matters to the practice; a company name is not a substitute for checking them. ARB does not use that register to certify architecture practices. Review the firm's client appointments and insurance separately, because individual registration does not resolve contractual or financial questions.

Architects Registration Board

Why is an architecture practice ranked here?

Firmbase ranks public company signals, as described on the methodology page. The order can help you inspect ownership, company history and financial records efficiently. It does not examine drawings, planning outcomes or the relationships a practice has built with clients. Assess the work and the people responsible for it directly, and never read a ranking as an invitation from an owner.

How do project stages affect an architecture deal?

Identify the stages each client commissioned and the fees tied to them. Compare invoiced work with drawings, approvals and site duties still owed, including any pause or termination rights. Ask who remains responsible for design decisions already made and which staff are needed to finish the work. This separates the current appointment book from work that a buyer hopes may follow.

How this list is filtered

Active on Companies House. Companies in liquidation, administration, receivership or a voluntary arrangement, or with a proposal to strike off, are left out.
Dormant companies are left out.
Firms whose owners asked to be removed are left out.
Private limited companies, public limited companies, LLPs and private unlimited companies only. Sole traders and partnerships are not covered.
Firmbase industry tag: Architecture.
SIC code 71111.
5 or more staff, from filed headcount or our estimate where none is filed.
Registered office in the UK.

How this list is built

The Approach Score ranks firms mainly on public Companies House information about owner tenure and age, ownership, size, financial strength and recent register changes.

Firms with higher scores appear first in each list.

Use the ranking to order research, then check each business directly.

Read how the Approach Score works

What it does not mean

No firm here is for sale, and the score says nothing about any owner's plans.

At least 95% of the firms where we hold directors had them checked in or after November 2026.

What we do not cover

We cover limited companies, LLPs and private unlimited companies. Sole traders and ordinary partnerships are not on Companies House, so they are not here. Regulatory information is not included in this list. Buyers should check the relevant register as part of their due diligence. Check individuals on the Architects Registration Board's Architects Register. ARB registers architects across the UK; it does not register practices.

Why age bands but no people's names

Age bands come from the month and year of birth on Companies House. This page shows no exact ages and no people's names. Both come with the purchased list. The band edges from 45 to 65 are the ages where the score changes. A row shows no age bands when a director's surname is in the firm's name, its group's name or its website. Those directors' ages still count towards the score.

Is this your firm?

You can ask us to take it off every acquisition page, and out of every list we sell after that. Give us your name and work email, and we send you a link to confirm. If your email address is on the firm's own website domain, the firm comes off once you confirm. If it is not, a person reviews your request first. A list already sold stays with its buyer.

To have personal data erased, see our privacy policy.

Other areas

East Midlands East of England London North East North West Northern Ireland Scotland South East South West Wales West Midlands Yorkshire and The Humber

The standard Firmbase list

Architecture Companies in the UK