Darwin (Thanet Well) Limited: FCA regulated?

Appointed representative

This firm does not hold FCA authorisation of its own, and acts under a principal firm, which is legally responsible for its regulated business.

Appointed for 11 years
Protected through the principal
No FCA actions
Active company since 2014

Responsible principal firm

Andrew Smith Reference number: 826675 Authorised View firm →

What does this mean?

An appointed representative (AR) can carry out regulated financial services, but is not directly authorised by the FCA. A principal firm holds the authorisation and is legally responsible for the AR's conduct.
Darwin (Thanet Well) Limited (FRN 672231) is an AR of Andrew Smith (FRN 826675). When you use Darwin (Thanet Well)'s services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm.
Example: if you take financial advice from Darwin (Thanet Well), complaints and compensation usually follow the same rules as dealing with the principal, but this depends on the product and your circumstances.
Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

Website

darwinescapes.co.uk (opens in a new tab)
Phone number

01745 858000
Address

Greystoke, Nr Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 0XX, United Kingdom

In the full report: 3 background checks

When darwinescapes.co.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
What kind of line 01745 858000 is, and the 14 other firms that give it
Who else gives the postcode CA11 0XX

Other names (2)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

Thanet Well Country Park Trading name: A name it trades under now.
Thanet Well Lodge Retreat Trading name: A name it trades under now.

FCA permissions and consumer protection

Protection through the principal firm
Protection works through Andrew Smith, the principal firm responsible for this firm's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
Complaints Ombudsman, free
You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company number: 08979623 (opens Companies House in a new tab)
Company status: Active
Company type: Private limited company
Incorporated: 4 April 2014 (12 years old)
Registered office: Dee House St. Davids Park, Ewloe, Deeside, Flintshire, CH5 3XF, Wales
Nature of business: Holiday centres and villages (SIC 55201)

Directors and company secretaries

Name	Role	Born	Appointed	Other companies
Andrew Campbell	Director	Sep 1959	28 Feb 2018	30 other companies
Alexander Bryan Timothy Pope	Director	Sep 1983	27 Aug 2025	46 other companies

Other companies run by these 2 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies: 60
closed down: 16
are FCA-registered: 7

In the full report: all 60 companies, named

What each company does, and whether it is still trading
Which of these 2 directors sit on each board, and since when
Any that went into liquidation or administration
The 7 on the FCA register
The 16 companies these 2 directors run together
All 5 people who have ever been directors, with their dates

Key dates in its history

Darwin (Thanet Well)’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (4) All events (16)

2017

28 March 2017

Butterfield Bank (Guernsey) Limited As Trustee For Darwin West Country (Guernsey) Limited gave up control
Butterfield Bank (Guernsey) Limited As Trustee For Darwin West Country (Guernsey) Limited took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

2015

18 February 2015

Became an appointed representative

FCA register

2014

4 April 2014

Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 16 events

All 16 events in its history (4 shown here)
Every director appointment and resignation: 8

Firms connected to Darwin (Thanet Well)

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with Darwin (Thanet Well). A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

connected firms: 12
share a director: 7
share its phone number: 11

In the full report: all 12 connected firms, named

How each is linked: shared directors (7), the same phone number (11)
Who links each one: the named directors, with dates

Firms like Darwin (Thanet Well)

Other firms of the same type (insurance broker), nearest first.

In the Carlisle (CA) postcode area

I Mandle, G Davies, G R Holliday & N E Wilkinson BuckleCarlisleAppointed representative Darwin (Keswick Reach) LimitedCockermouthAppointed representative Belle Vue Vets LimitedWigtonAppointed representative Castles & Coasts Housing AssociationWorkingtonAppointed representative Cumbria Chamber of Commerce & IndustryCarlisleAppointed representative M D Jeal, D J Jones, J M Cosker, C E Mortimer & K E BirdPenrithAppointed representative

Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on Darwin (Thanet Well)

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

60 other companies its directors have run, named
3 background checks on its contact details
All 16 events in its history
12 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Darwin (Thanet Well) Limited FCA authorised?

Darwin (Thanet Well) Limited (FRN 672231) is not directly authorised. It is an appointed representative acting under the responsibility of a directly authorised principal firm.

What does appointed representative mean for Darwin (Thanet Well)?

An appointed representative (AR) can carry out regulated financial services, but is not directly authorised by the FCA. A principal firm holds the authorisation and is legally responsible for the AR's conduct. Darwin (Thanet Well) Limited (FRN 672231) is an AR of Andrew Smith (FRN 826675). When you use Darwin (Thanet Well)'s services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm. Example: if you take financial advice from Darwin (Thanet Well), complaints and compensation usually follow the same rules as dealing with the principal, but this depends on the product and your circumstances. Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.

What is Darwin (Thanet Well)’s phone number and website?

The FCA register lists the phone number 01745 858000 and the website darwinescapes.co.uk for Darwin (Thanet Well). If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further. The same number is also given by 14 other FCA firms.

Is Darwin (Thanet Well) a scam or clone?

Darwin (Thanet Well) is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.

Is my money safe with Darwin (Thanet Well)?

Protection works through Andrew Smith, the principal firm responsible for Darwin (Thanet Well)'s regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.

Who owns Darwin (Thanet Well)?

Companies House lists no one with significant control of Darwin (Thanet Well) now. Before that, it was controlled by Butterfield Bank (Guernsey) Limited As Trustee For Darwin West Country (Guernsey) Limited.

Who runs Darwin (Thanet Well)?

Companies House lists 2 directors of Darwin (Thanet Well): Andrew Campbell and Alexander Bryan Timothy Pope.

How long has Darwin (Thanet Well) been in business?

The company was formed on 4 April 2014.

Does Darwin (Thanet Well) use any other names?

It trades as Thanet Well Country Park and Thanet Well Lodge Retreat.