Company
W.H. Allen General Books Limited
Official record Companies House · updated 4th October 2026 · Sources
Network
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Who leads it
Previous officers 12
- Roger Ling Smith 2007-2014 View profile
- Nigel John Williams 2001-2004 View profile
- Karen Elizabeth Forster 2001-2007 View profile
- Robert Harold Ferrers Devereux 1996 View profile
- Robert Allan Shreeve 2001 View profile
- Timothy Martin Hailstone 1999 View profile
- Helena Caroline Peacock 2014-2016 View profile
- Joshua Bayliss 2006-2007 View profile
- Peter Gerardus Gram 2000-2006 View profile
- Diana Patricia Legge 1996-2000 View profile
- Naomi Rae Zamet 1995-1996 View profile
- Roger Patrick Flynn 1995 View profile
Directors and secretaries as filed at Companies House.
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About
- Incorporated
- 06/04/1988
Ownership
Owned by (1) iOwned byIndividuals and companies registered as having significant control over this company, from the Companies House PSC (persons with significant control) register. People whose ownership could not be confirmed to one individual are not listed as confirmed owners.
- Virgin Books Limited
75-100% shares, 75-100% voting, appoints directors · notified 2016-04-06
Group
- W.H. Allen General Books Limited
is controlled by Virgin Books Limited
Evidence
active 75-100% shares, 75-100% voting, appoints directors · notified 2016-04-06 · source: Companies House PSC register - Virgin Books Limited
is controlled by The Random House Group Limited
Evidence
active 75-100% shares, 75-100% voting, appoints directors, significant influence · notified 2016-04-06 · source: Companies House PSC register - The Random House Group Limited
is controlled by Penguin Random House Limited
Evidence
active 75-100% shares, 75-100% voting, appoints directors · notified 2016-04-06 · source: Companies House PSC register - Penguin Random House Limited
is controlled by Bertelsmann UK Limited
Evidence
active 75-100% shares, 75-100% voting · notified 2016-04-06 · source: Companies House PSC register
Ultimately controlled by Bertelsmann UK Limited.
136 other companies in this group
- Union Square Music Limited
- The Harvill Press Limited
- Prinovis UK Limited
- The Bodley Head Limited
- Bellew & Higton Publishers Limited
- Transworld Publishers Limited
- Allen Lane the Penguin Press Limited
- Mainstream Publishing Company (Edinburgh) Limited
- T.Werner Laurie,Limited
- Michael Joseph Limited
- The Cresset Press Limited
- Snowman Enterprises Limited
- Plane Tree Publishers Limited
- Jonathan Cape,Limited
- Woodlands Books Limited
- Stanley Paul & CO Limited
- Penguin Books Limited
- Lostmy.Name LTD
- 10483064
- Arvato Government Services Limited
- Salspot Limited
- Skint Records Limited
- Pelham Books Limited
- BMG 10 Music Limited
- Riverty UK Limited
- Chrysalis Holdings Limited
- BMG Production Music (UK) Limited
- Arvato Government Services (Eryc) Limited
- 01777051
- BMG Rights Management (UK) Limited
- Carousel Books Limited
- RAM Records LTD
- Dorling Kindersley Vision Limited
- Wonderbly Productions LTD
- Windswept Music (London) Limited
- Tamarind Limited
- Century Hutchinson Publishing Limited
- Chrysalis Songs Limited
- Aardvark Bidco Limited
- Flaname 3 Limited
- Flaname 8 Limited
- Hurst & Blackett Limited
- Dorling Kindersley Limited
- The Echo Label Limited
- 08265900
- Ventura Publishing Limited
- Bantam Books Limited
- Hugo's Language Books Limited
- Ladybird Books Limited
- BMG VM Music Limited
Ownership paths are calculated from Companies House persons-with-significant-control filings. Each step shows the filed nature of control and dates; a step marked "ceased" is historical, not current.
Financials
- Net assets
- £2
- Total assets
- £2
- Employees
- 0
- Turnover
- Not reported (small or micro-entity accounts)
Filed as Dormant company accounts.
Five-year trend
| Period ending | Turnover | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-31 | Not reported | £2 |
| 2025-12-31 | Not reported | £2 |
| 2024-12-31 | Not reported | £2 |
Figures from accounts filed at Companies House (iXBRL), period ending 2025-12-31. Where turnover is absent, small and micro-entity accounts are not required to report it, so it is not shown as zero.
Board analysis
Board DNA
How this board is put together, from the Companies House officer record and Charity Commission trustee records - deterministic, no AI.iBoard compositionCounted from the dated Companies House officer record: the current directors only, past directors excluded.
2 directors on the board
- Thomas Daryl Weldon Director · appointed 2014
- Mark William Gardiner Director · appointed 2007
Directors past 6 years
- Thomas Daryl Weldon Director · appointed 2014
- Mark William Gardiner Director · appointed 2007
First-time vs portfolio directors
Portfolio (2)
- Thomas Daryl Weldon Director · appointed 2014
- Mark William Gardiner Director · appointed 2007
Where else this board sits iWhere else this board sitsThe charitable fields these directors govern in elsewhere, by Charity Commission classification. Excludes this company and any charity it is the legal face of.
The sectors these directors govern in elsewhere. This company, and any charity it is the legal face of, are excluded - counting them would just tell you what you are already looking at.
Gaps to watch
- Several long-serving directors could step down together
Where to look Suggested search: succession planning for long-tenured seats.
Sources
Official record from Companies House. Governance Register calculates the connections.
Record details
- Company number
- 02240908
- Status
- Active
- Type
- Private Limited Company
- Edition
- Register edition compiled 4th October 2026
- Labels
- Official record from Companies House · Calculated derived by Governance Register.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Report an issue · How we handle data