The firm was among the longest-running architectural practices globally, established by Herbert Tooley in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, in 1892. It evolved into Tooley & Foster Partnership in 1910 and rebranded as Tooley Foster in 2021, employing 30 staff at that time.

However, the firm’s primary trading entity, Tooley Foster 1982 Limited, went into voluntary liquidation at the end of last year, with debts of £1.6 million and total assets estimated at just £138,000.

Recently, a secondary entity, The Tooley & Foster Partnership LLP, also entered liquidation. Additionally, the group’s employee benefit trust, Tooley Foster Trustees Limited, is scheduled for dissolution later this month.

Stewart Bennett, the liquidator from S T Bennett & Co, informed the AJ that the decision to close the practice was due to a decrease in work and the inability to afford professional indemnity insurance, with monthly quotes reaching £17,000.

In August 2024, Vistry Partnerships initiated legal proceedings against The Tooley & Foster Partnership LLP and other consultants, though case details remain undisclosed.

Tooley Foster, formerly an AJ100 member, focused on education and healthcare projects since its founding, while also engaging in commercial, care home, and various housing developments.

At the time of liquidation, the primary company (Tooley Foster 1982 Limited) had outstanding debts of £23,000 to trade creditors, £272,000 to employees, £611,000 to directors, £50,000 to banks, and £86,000 to HM Revenue and Customs.

A complete statement of affairs for The Tooley & Foster Partnership LLP has yet to be released.

Last month, MHA Architects, based in Manchester and Sheffield for 50 years, also entered voluntary liquidation, with company director Jimmy Lennon stating that the primary reason for its closure was the high cost of professional indemnity insurance.

The AJ has sought to reach out to the former directors of Tooley Foster.

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