H.TEMPEST LIMITED
Company number 00374510 · Monitor this company
Executive summary
H. Tempest Limited stands as one of the UK's largest and most established institutional photography businesses, with a robust balance sheet (£27.4M net assets, £22.5M cash) that belies its current operational challenges. The 58% profit decline to £800K on stable £39.5M turnover signals margin compression in the core school photography division, which is facing structural headwinds from declining account volumes and rising employment costs. While the cruise ship photography diversification offers growth potential and the financial reserves provide substantial strategic flexibility, the company's competitive position will depend on its ability to arrest the decline in its heritage market and translate its considerable balance sheet strength into renewed operational momentum.
Shareholders' funds
£27,426,130
Balance sheet as at 2024-12-31
What it does
The principal activity of the company and group continued to be that of nationwide portrait and group photographers.
The company's own description, from its latest filed accounts.
Overview
- Company type
- Private Limited Company
- Incorporated
- 1942-06-16
- Employees
- 565 (2024 accounts · was 599 in 2023)
- Registered office
- The Colour Laboratory, Lelant, St. Ives, Cornwall, TR26 3HU
- Postcode
- TR26 3HU
- Capital
- 472,489 GBP
- Accounts category
- Group
- Charges
- 0 outstanding
Accounts
- Last made up to
- 2024-12-31
- Next due by
- 2026-09-30
- Financial year end
- 31 December
Confirmation statement
- Last statement dated
- 2026-06-30
- Next due by
- 2027-07-14
Nature of business (SIC)
- 74201 Portrait photographic activities
Officers 8 current · 9 resigned
Group structure 6 subsidiaries
-
REBEL MOMENTS LIMITED Dissolved
From persons-with-significant-control filings on the public register.
Public contracts won 1
£413,000 total awarded value where published.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (Contracts Finder).
Patents 2
Patent publications naming * H TEMPEST LIMITED as applicant.
Patent data from the European Patent Office (Open Patent Services).
Gender pay gap
3.3%
Women's median hourly pay below men's, 2025/26 · around the middle of the pack for parity
Contact details
- Website
- http://www.htempest.co.uk
Previous registered addresses 2
| Address | Changed on |
|---|---|
| 3 PELHAM COURT, PELHAM ROAD, SHERWOOD RISE, NOTTINGHAM, NG5 1AP | 2011-09-05 |
| MARLBOROUGH HOUSE, 1A CRANMER STREET, NOTTINGHAM | 1988-04-12 |
Among its peers
Top 1%
by shareholders' funds, of 493 similar companies in TR — measured against the wider sector
The largest employer among its local peers (565 staff).
The oldest of its local peers, trading since 1942.
Property in England & Wales 5 titles
- Freehold
- 3
- Leasehold
- 2
- Most recent registration
- 2019-03-13
- Where
- Cornwall (5)
| Title number | County | Tenure | Registered | Price paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL142 | Cornwall | Freehold | 2019-03-13 | — |
| CL46 | Cornwall | Freehold | 2019-03-05 | — |
| CL317625 | Cornwall | Leasehold | 2015-09-16 | — |
| CL317626 | Cornwall | Leasehold | 2015-09-16 | — |
| CL11436 | Cornwall | Freehold | 1993-10-19 | — |
For addresses and the authoritative register entry, use HM Land Registry's official search (£3 per title).
Information produced by HM Land Registry. © Crown copyright 2026. Dataset as at 2026-08.