SAR - Hartstone Group PLC

North Atlantic Smlr Co Inv Tst PLC
13 October 2000
                                                            FORM SAR 3

                                       Date of disclosure..13 October 2000

                 DISCLOSURE UNDER RULE 3 OF THE RULES GOVERNING
                   SUBSTANTIAL ACQUISITIONS OF SHARES ('SARs')

                 
Date of acquisition.....11 October 2000....................................

Acquisition in..........Hartstone Group plc...............(name of company)


(1) Class of voting shares    Number of shares/rights   If rights over shares
    (eg ordinary shares)      over shares acquired      acquired, as opposed
                                                        to the shares
                                                        themselves, specify
                                                        nature of rights

    ORDINARY SHARES.......    ...8,000,000....shares    ......N/A........
                              ...N/A..........rights


(2) Resultant total holding   Resultant total holding   Total percentage
    of voting shares (and %   of rights over shares
    of total voting shares    (and % of total voting
    in issue)                 shares in issue)

    ..41,310,000....(    %)   ......N/A.....(    %)    ...23.804%........


(3) Party making disclosure...North Atlantic Smaller Companies Investment Trust 
                             plc...  

(4)  (a)  Name of person acquiring shares or rights over shares ............
          and, if different, beneficial owner.....see 4 below............... 

     (b)  Names of any other persons acting by
          agreement or understanding (see SAR 5)...(1) J O Hambro Capital       
         Management Limited, (2) North Atlantic Smaller Companies Investment    
        Trust plc (3) Oryx International Growth Fund Limited

Signed, for and on behalf of the party named in (3) above...................

(Also print name of signatory).....RACHEL BUTLIN............................

Telephone and extension number.....020 7747 5680............................

Note. Under SAR 5, the holdings of and acquisitions by persons acting by
agreement or understanding must be aggregated and treated as a holding of or
acquisition by one person.  Note 3 on SAR 5 requires persons who must aggregate
holdings to disclose certain disposals.

For full details of the SARs disclosure requirements, see Rules 3 and 5 of the
SARs.  If in doubt, contact the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, 
Tel. No: 020 7382 9026.