Is W H Darby Limited in administration?
Last verified 16 June 2026
Yes, W H Darby Limited (company number 05337453) entered administration on 18 February 2026. Andrew James Pear of Moorfields was appointed as administrator.
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W H Darby Limited is now under the control of an administrator. Below are the key dates, the directors, the public-record timeline that led here, and what the administration means if you are a creditor, employee, customer or supplier.
Company at a glance
| Status | In Administration |
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| Company number | 05337453 |
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| Previously known as | - W H Darby (UK) Limited, Jan 2005 to May 2005
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| Incorporated | 19 January 2005 (21 years old) |
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| Registered office | 82 St. John Street, London, EC1M 4JN |
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| Nature of business (SIC) | 25990: Manufacture of other fabricated metal products n.e.c. (Manufacturing) |
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| Date entered administration | 18 February 2026 |
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| Administrator | Andrew James Pear, Moorfields (licensed insolvency practitioner) |
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| Official notice | View the official notice ↗ |
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| Statement of Affairs | Filed 16 March 2026, declared assets & liabilities ↗ |
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| Public register | View filing history ↗ |
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About the business
W H Darby Limited is a manufacturing business based in London, incorporated in 2005 and 21 years old when the administrator was appointed. Its registered activity is manufacture of other fabricated metal products n.e.c. (SIC 25990). There have been 8 director appointments since incorporation, of which 3 were on the board when the administrator was appointed, alongside 1 person with significant control. 2 charges have been registered against the company, 2 of which are still outstanding.
Directors
8 people have been appointed as directors of W H Darby Limited.
DirectorStatusAppointedResigned
A director resignation shortly before an insolvency is a matter of public record; it does not by itself imply wrongdoing.
Persons with significant control
Individuals or entities with significant influence or control.
Vaughtons Holdings Limited
corporate entity person with significant control
Ownership of shares 75-100%Voting rights 75-100%
1 ceased control
- Mr Stephen John Hobbis · ceased 28 Sep 2023
Charges register
Secured creditors and encumbrances against the company. 2 outstanding · 0 satisfied.
Status · Creditor · Type · Dates
OutstandingThe Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Legal charge · Created 14 Apr 2005 · Pending
OutstandingThe Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Debenture · Created 10 Mar 2005 · Pending
What happened
EventDateType
Result of meeting of creditors28 April 2026AM07
Statement of administrator's proposal24 March 2026AM03 Statement of affairs with form AM02SOA16 March 2026AM02 Registered office address changed from 82 st. John Street London EC1M 4JN to 82 st. John Street London EC1M 4JN on 2026-02-2424 February 2026AD01 Registered office address changed from 16 Well Street Hockley Birmingham B19 3BJ to 82 st. John Street London EC1M 4JN on 2026-02-1919 February 2026AD01 +69 earlier events · 2005 to 2026
Appointment of an administrator18 February 2026AM01 Confirmation statement made on 2026-01-19 with no updates27 January 2026CS01 Total exemption full accounts made up to 2024-12-3130 September 2025AA Appointment of Mrs Danielle Lorraine Hobbis as a director on 2025-07-1011 July 2025AP01 Confirmation statement made on 2025-01-19 with no updates30 January 2025CS01 Total exemption full accounts made up to 2023-12-3127 September 2024AA Confirmation statement made on 2024-01-19 with updates30 January 2024CS01 Termination of appointment of Linda Margaret Hobbis as a director on 2023-09-2811 October 2023TM01 Termination of appointment of Stephen John Hobbis as a director on 2023-09-2811 October 2023TM01 Termination of appointment of Stephen John Hobbis as a secretary on 2023-09-2811 October 2023TM02 Cessation of Stephen John Hobbis as a person with significant control on 2023-09-2811 October 2023PSC07 Notification of Vaughtons Holdings Limited as a person with significant control on 2023-09-2811 October 2023PSC02 Total exemption full accounts made up to 2022-12-3127 September 2023AA Confirmation statement made on 2023-01-19 with no updates25 January 2023CS01 Total exemption full accounts made up to 2021-12-315 April 2022AA Confirmation statement made on 2022-01-19 with no updates24 January 2022CS01 Total exemption full accounts made up to 2020-12-319 March 2021AA Confirmation statement made on 2021-01-19 with no updates12 February 2021CS01 Total exemption full accounts made up to 2019-12-3120 April 2020AA Confirmation statement made on 2020-01-19 with updates10 February 2020CS01 Total exemption full accounts made up to 2018-12-3131 July 2019AA Statement of capital following an allotment of shares on 2019-05-0111 June 2019SH01 Confirmation statement made on 2019-01-19 with no updates12 February 2019CS01 Total exemption full accounts made up to 2017-12-3119 July 2018AA Director's details changed for Stephen John Hobbis on 2017-12-019 February 2018CH01 Director's details changed for Martyn Wykes on 2017-12-018 February 2018CH01 Confirmation statement made on 2018-01-19 with no updates8 February 2018CS01 Secretary's details changed for Stephen John Hobbis on 2017-12-018 February 2018CH03 Director's details changed for Linda Margaret Hobbis on 2017-12-018 February 2018CH01 Director's details changed for Nicholas Hobbis on 2017-12-018 February 2018CH01 Unaudited abridged accounts made up to 2016-12-3129 September 2017AA Confirmation statement made on 2017-01-19 with updates26 January 2017CS01 Total exemption small company accounts made up to 2015-12-3114 September 2016AA Annual return made up to 2016-01-19 with full list of shareholders28 January 2016AR01 Total exemption small company accounts made up to 2014-12-3117 February 2015AA Annual return made up to 2015-01-19 with full list of shareholders20 January 2015AR01 Total exemption small company accounts made up to 2013-12-3125 September 2014AA Annual return made up to 2014-01-19 with full list of shareholders24 January 2014AR01 Total exemption small company accounts made up to 2012-12-314 June 2013AA Annual return made up to 2013-01-19 with full list of shareholders25 January 2013AR01 Total exemption small company accounts made up to 2011-12-3112 September 2012AA Annual return made up to 2012-01-19 with full list of shareholders19 January 2012AR01 Total exemption small company accounts made up to 2010-12-3123 June 2011AA Annual return made up to 2011-01-19 with full list of shareholders25 January 2011AR01 Accounts for a small company made up to 2009-12-3122 June 2010AA Annual return made up to 2010-01-19 with full list of shareholders21 January 2010AR01 Director's details changed for Nicholas Hobbis on 2010-01-2121 January 2010CH01 Director's details changed for Linda Margaret Hobbis on 2010-01-2121 January 2010CH01 Director's details changed for Martyn Wykes on 2010-01-2121 January 2010CH01 Total exemption small company accounts made up to 2008-12-3116 October 2009AA Legacy31 January 2009288a Legacy31 January 2009288a Legacy21 January 2009363a Total exemption small company accounts made up to 2007-12-3129 September 2008AA Legacy23 January 2008363a Total exemption small company accounts made up to 2006-12-3120 September 2007AA Legacy24 January 2007363a Accounts for a small company made up to 2005-12-316 November 2006AA Legacy3 February 2006363a Certificate of change of name25 May 2005CERTNM Legacy10 February 2005225 Legacy4 February 2005288a Legacy4 February 2005288b Legacy4 February 2005288b Legacy4 February 2005288a Incorporation19 January 2005NEWINC What this means for you
If you are a creditor
Contact the administrator (Moorfields) to register your claim. You cannot start or continue legal action against the company without the court's or administrator's permission. Unsecured creditors are typically paid last.
A creditor's checklist →If you are an employee
Employees are preferential creditors for certain unpaid wages and holiday pay, and may be able to claim from the Redundancy Payments Service if roles are made redundant.
Employee rights and redundancy pay →If you are a customer
Orders, deposits and warranties may be affected. Deposits paid are usually unsecured claims. Contact the administrator about outstanding work or refunds.
What customers can recover →If you are a supplier
Goods supplied before the appointment are an unsecured claim. Check whether any retention-of-title clause applies to goods you can identify and recover.
How retention of title works →Don't be the last to know next time
Most suppliers only find out a customer has failed once it is announced. By then it is too late. Protect monitors every company you sell to and emails you as the warning signs build, well before it becomes official. We can't stop a customer failing, but you'll never be the last to know, and you'll know you did all you could.
See how Protect works, £24/mo →Other manufacturing companies in administration
Related guides
The bigger picture
Frequently asked questions
- Is W H Darby Limited in administration?
- Yes. W H Darby Limited (company number 05337453) entered administration on 18 February 2026. Andrew James Pear of Moorfields was appointed as administrator.
- Who is the administrator of W H Darby Limited?
- Andrew James Pear, a licensed insolvency practitioner at Moorfields, was appointed administrator of W H Darby Limited on 18 February 2026. Creditors can contact the administrator directly to submit a claim.
- What does W H Darby Limited do?
- W H Darby Limited's registered nature of business is manufacture of other fabricated metal products n.e.c. (SIC 25990). It is classified in the manufacturing sector.
- Where is W H Darby Limited based?
- W H Darby Limited's registered office is 82 St. John Street, London, EC1M 4JN. The registered office is the address held on the public register, which is not always the trading address.
- When was W H Darby Limited founded?
- W H Darby Limited was incorporated on 19 January 2005, 21 years before the administrator was appointed.
- What is W H Darby Limited's company number?
- W H Darby Limited's registered company number is 05337453.
- Who has significant control of W H Darby Limited?
- 1 active person with significant control over W H Darby Limited is on the register: Vaughtons Holdings Limited.
- Does W H Darby Limited have any outstanding charges?
- 2 outstanding charges are registered against W H Darby Limited out of 2 on file. Outstanding charges represent secured creditors who rank ahead of unsecured creditors in any recovery.
- Are jobs at W H Darby Limited at risk?
- When a company enters administration the administrator decides whether to continue trading, sell the business as a going concern, or wind it down. Employees can contact the administrator (Moorfields) for any update on their role, and may be able to claim from the Redundancy Payments Service if their job is made redundant.
- What does administration mean for creditors of W H Darby Limited?
- Administration is a formal insolvency process that gives a company protection from creditors while an administrator tries to rescue it or achieve a better result than liquidation. Creditors cannot start or continue legal action without permission. Unsecured creditors are usually paid last, often only a portion of what they are owed, if anything.
- When did W H Darby Limited go into administration?
- W H Darby Limited went into administration on 18 February 2026.
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