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Home/SRA-regulated firms/Colchester/Holmes & Hills LLP

Recognised body -- SRA 534489

Holmes & Hills LLP

Trading as Blackwater Law. Authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority since 1 November 2011; status as reported by the SRA on 28 August 2026. Head office Colchester CO6 1ED, in the Colchester district.

SRA number
534489
Authorisation
Recognised body
Authorised since
1 November 2011
Organisation type
Recognised body, authorised
Constitution
Limited liability partnership
Practising offices
7 (6 branches)
Head office
Colchester CO6 1ED
Branch towns
Halstead, Sudbury, Colchester, Tiptree, Braintree, Witham
Areas of law reported to the SRA
13: Planning, Employment, Probate, Commercial property, Litigation, Residential property, Children, Family, Corporate (non-listed), Landlord and tenant, Personal Injury, ADR, Wills and trusts
Website (SRA record)
holmes-hills.co.uk
Head office phone
01206 593933
Companies House status
Active (OC352397, file 1 May 2026)
Incorporated
17 February 2010
Company type
Limited Liability Partnership
Trading names
Blackwater Law
SRA firms in Colchester
34 (20 residential property)

Holmes & Hills LLP is a recognised body authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority since November 2011 and recorded under SRA number 534489. The SRA record lists 7 practising offices: the head office at A12 Commercial Hub, Colchester, CO6 1ED, plus 6 further offices in Halstead, Sudbury, Colchester, Tiptree, Braintree and Witham. It also trades as Blackwater Law. Its constitution is recorded as limited liability partnership.

In its most recent annual return the firm told the SRA it delivered work in 13 areas of law: Planning, Employment, Probate, Commercial property, Litigation, Residential property, Children, Family, Corporate (non-listed), Landlord and tenant, Personal Injury, ADR and Wills and trusts. Because residential property is among them, the SRA Transparency Rules require the firm to publish its conveyancing prices on its own website, holmes-hills.co.uk, where its fees page has not yet been checked by this site.

The head office postcode CO6 1ED falls within Colchester (East of England), where the SRA register lists 34 authorised firms with a practising office, 20 of them reporting residential property work. The nearest other SRA-regulated firms by straight-line distance from the head office are Ellisons Legal LLP (7.5 km, Colchester), Jolyon Berry Limited (7.5 km, Colchester), Fiona M Ashworth Limited (7.5 km, Colchester), Mary Anne Fedeyko Limited (7.5 km, Colchester) and Nick Mayles Limited (7.5 km, Colchester). 3 of those 5 report residential property work.

Companies House records the firm as HOLMES & HILLS LLP (company number OC352397), a limited liability partnership incorporated on 17 February 2010, 16 years before this snapshot. Its status on the Companies House bulk file dated 1 May 2026 is "Active". The registered office town is COLCHESTER, the same as the head office.

Across England and Wales this site's verified conveyancing legal fee for a purchase averages £1,575 (range £1,200 to £2,500) plus VAT, before disbursements. Read the firm's published prices against that band rather than the headline figure alone.

Offices on the SRA record

OfficeAddressDistrictPhone
Head officeA12 Commercial Hub, 86 London Road, Marks Tey, Colchester, CO6 1EDColchester01206 593933
BranchTrinity Street, Halstead, CO9 1JEBraintree01787 475312
Branch96 North Street, Sudbury, CO10 1RFBabergh01787 275275
Branch1 Market End, Coggeshall, Colchester, CO6 1TPBraintree01376 557311
BranchUnit 2, Ketleys Place, 84a Church Road, Tiptree, CO5 0HBColchester01621 817522
BranchDale Chambers, Bocking End, Braintree, CM7 9AJBraintree01376 320456
Branch8 The Grove Centre, Witham, CM8 2YTBraintree01376 557333

Areas of law reported to the SRA

PlanningEmploymentProbateCommercial propertyLitigationResidential propertyChildrenFamilyCorporate (non-listed)Landlord and tenantPersonal InjuryADRWills and trusts

Self-reported by the firm in its most recent annual return to the SRA ("the areas of law that the law firm has told us they delivered"). A lagging description of past work, not a live service list, a specialism claim or a quality mark; it may be up to a year old and is blank for newly authorised firms.

Conveyancing prices: published by the firm under SRA Transparency Rule 1

Because Holmes & Hills LLP reports residential property work, it must publish its conveyancing price, charging basis, disbursements, VAT treatment and timescales on its website. Look for a fees page at holmes-hills.co.uk or ask the firm for the figures in writing. Compare against the national average of £1,575 plus VAT and the disbursements you will pay on top.

Companies House record

HOLMES & HILLS LLP, company number OC352397, limited liability partnership, incorporated 17 February 2010. Status on the Companies House bulk file dated 1 May 2026: Active. Last accounts made up to 30 April 2025 (full). Registered office town: COLCHESTER. Full record on ukcompanyfinder.com.

Nearest SRA-regulated firms

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solicitorcost.com includes data supplied by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Source: SRA Firm data web service (terms 1 July 2020, attribution required); firm status, offices and areas of law as reported by the SRA on 28 August 2026. Areas of law are self-reported by each firm in its annual return and describe work it told the SRA it delivered, not a live service menu or a quality mark. Companies House fields from the Basic Company Data bulk file dated 1 May 2026. Geocoding by postcodes.io: contains OS data (c) Crown copyright and database right 2026, Royal Mail data (c) Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026, National Statistics data (c) Crown copyright and database right 2026. No firm on this site is sponsored, ranked or endorsed, and nothing here implies SRA endorsement of this site.

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Updated 2026-07-13