The Queen's Wedding Cake Restoration Project
Learn about the BSG's extraordinary two-year journey to restore Peek Frean's Royal Wedding Cake...
The unveiling of the restored wedding cake at the Peek Frean Museum will forever remain one of the high points in the history of the British Sugarcraft Guild.
Coordinating this unique project involving hundreds of volunteer members, from around the UK and beyond, was a huge undertaking. Witnessing all the work coming together after two years and seeing the cake standing proud once again in its beautiful display case was quite overwhelming; to then receive a civic award for the project really was the icing on the cake!
Here at Sugarcraft North, we are proud that so many members
from around the England North
area enjoyed taking part in the restoration, and not least that our own area team members: Judy Banks, Judith Lynn, and Andrew Hill, had such leading roles in bringing the project to fruition.
It all started one afternoon in July 2015, when Andrew, then the BSG’s national office administrator, picked up a call from Gary Magold, curator of the Peek Frean Museum in Bermondsey. Gary explained that their replica of the royal wedding cake had been vandalised and badly damaged while in storage, and he was seeking advice on whether the historic piece could be repaired or restored.
Andrew passed the enquiry to the Guild's national committee, where Judy guided the proposal through discussions. Two years later, during the week starting 23rd October 2017, the remarkable journey ended at the museum as cake tiers arrived from the BSG's regions for the final assembly and decoration of the restored cake.
The impressive six-tier cake was finally completed and assembled just in time for the royal couple's Platinum wedding anniversary celebrations on 20th November 2017.
A Brief History
In 1947, Peek Frean created one of the wedding cakes for Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, along with a full-sized replica. This replica was proudly displayed in the reception area of the Biscuit Factory in Bermondsey for over 30 years, and later featured in a museum exhibit celebrating the company’s history after its closure in the late 1980s. In 2015, during a museum relocation, vandals broke in and destroyed the cake while it awaited transport. The remains were moved to the new museum site, where members of the Sugarcraft Guild stepped in to help.
These photos show the extent of the damage to the historic cake.
The Restoration Process
They took detailed measurements and photos of what was left of the six tiers, carefully noting the original techniques and materials that went into making the historic 70-year-old cake.
The original moulds for the pictorial side panels on each tier had long been lost, so WMG Warwick turned to techniques usually reserved for modern engineering. Using cutting-edge laser scanning and 3D printing, they recreated the images to produce new silicone moulds. This part of the project is a great example of how modern technology and traditional craftsmanship can come together to bring a beautiful historic piece of sugar art back to life.
Since all the templates for the detailed piping work were gone, Guild members made fresh technical drawings and templates using the measurements and photos they had on hand. Each of the six regions of the British Sugarcraft Guild was assigned a tier of the cake, giving as many members as possible the chance to join in and be part of this special historic project. Detailed instructions, along with any remaining pieces from the original tiers, were sent to each region, where workshops were held for members to gather, share their skills, and recreate the new cake tiers together.
Final Assembly
The six tiers, along with all the off pieces came together at the museum for final assembly during October 2017.
Over the course of three days, the small assembly team meticulously stacked each cake tier using special pillars, making sure every layer was level and properly aligned. After all six tiers were in place, the separate decorations were added with care, starting from the top and working downward. Amazingly, nothing broke, though plenty of extra pieces had been prepared—just in case!
With all the decorations complete, Gary was invited to pipe his own royal icing blossom as the final touch before the sides of the custom cabinet were set in place and the lid fastened.
Standing over six feet tall, the newly finished cake is displayed in a custom wooden and glass case made by a local cabinet maker in Bermondsey. The elegant simplicity of the showcase perfectly complements the intricate piped decorations on the cake.
The exquisite solid silver top ornament figure of St. George and the Dragon that featured on the top of the original wedding cake was presented as a gift to the Royal couple.
Officials at Buckingham Palace located the figure in The Royal Collection and graciously granted access for it to be laser scanned. With this data, the team at WMG, University of Warwick, produced an exact resin replica using innovative 3D printing technology.
During the final assembly week, Mike Donnelly proudly placed the replica ornament atop the restored cake on behalf of WMG Warwick.
On November 30, 2017, the Peek Frean Museum in Bermondsey hosted a special ceremony where Deputy Lieutenant for Southwark, Mrs. Jenny Bianco, unveiled the replica of the Queen’s Wedding Cake. The event was attended by project sponsors, invited guests, and descendants of James Peek and John Carr, who, along with George Frean, once ran the biscuit factory.
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Amanda Davies whose great-great-grandfather was Francis Peek and great-great-great-Uncle was James Peek, said she thought the replica was "absolutely wonderful".
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Chris Carr, whose great-great-grandfather John Carr joined the company after it was founded by Peek and Frean, was moved to tears at the unveiling. Chris worked at the factory from 1970 to 1980, following in the footsteps of his family—his grandfather was Chairman, and his father served as managing director. He remembered visiting the factory as a child and gazing up at an impressive cake in its massive display case. Speaking about the recreation, he said, “It really overwhelmed me, seeing people create something purely for the love of it, with no commercial gain, and to such a standard of perfection. Whenever I return to the factory, I feel a bit emotional. It’s a lovely project.”
Wow! What an honour
The British Sugarcraft Guild was thrilled to hear from the Worshipful Mayor of Southwark that we had been honoured in the 2018 Southwark Civic Awards for our work on restoring the Queen's Wedding Cake, and granted the Liberty of the Old Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey.
Every year, these awards celebrate the exceptional contributions of individuals and organisations to life in Southwark. This particular nomination was made by a member of the public and went through several committee stages before receiving approval. The award was presented at a civic celebration on 21st May 2018—fantastic news and an incredible achievement.
Members of the British Sugarcraft Guild can feel truly proud of all that we’ve accomplished together.
With thanks to the project sponsors
The project received sponsorship from specialist suppliers who provided materials to help the Guild recreate this one-of-a-kind replica cake. The British Sugarcraft Guild is truly thankful for the incredible support it has been given.
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WMG University of Warwick - Laser scanning & printing
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Renshaw - Manufacturer & supplier of sugarpaste
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FPC Sugarcraft - Bespoke silicone moulds
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Doric FPD Cakecrafts - Made-to-measure cake drums
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Bako North Western - Supplier of icing sugar & egg white
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Insignia Signs - Custom storage & transport crates
Ian Rudge, the husband of one of the Guild's members, whose hobby is woodturning, came forward to make the precision dowels that support each of the cake tiers.
Everyone who contributed towards the restoration project was presented with a special Certificate of Participation.
Let's take a closer look at the restored cake...
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Top Ornament: A six-inch model of St. George and the Dragon. On the original cake presented for the Royal Wedding, the ornament was made using solid silver. This is now kept in the Royal Collection.
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Top Tier: The modelling of the centre plaque depicts a motor torpedo boat as used by Sea Rangers in which Princess Elizabeth served. On the opposite side is the Sea Rangers' badge. Decorated with hand-moulded sugar flowers and piped trellis sections.
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Second Tier: This tier depicts Dartmouth Navel College where The Duke of Edinburgh received his naval training. On either side is a sugar plaque of the Naval Crown. The decoration on this tier all follows a nautical theme, including piped elevated flanges featuring a lifebuoy ring.
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Third tier: The side plaques on this tier are of St. George's Chapel at Windsor. The badges on each side depict the Windsor Coat of Arms. This tier is decorated with Oak leaves and Acorns and surrounded by piped trees with the initials E and P beneath.
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Fourth Tier: This tier depicts the new Coat of Arms of Princess Elizabeth. The tier is completed with columns around each side. Beneath this tier are piped trellis sections with entwined ivy, cornucopia, and wheatsheaves.
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Fifth tier: The plaques of this tier depict HMS Vanguard lying off Table Mountain on the occasion of the Royal Tour of South Africa in 1947. The smaller plaques on each side depict the Vanguard badge. The decoration continues the nautical theme with ropes and anchors.
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Sixth, bottom tier: The modelled plaques on this tier depict Glamis Castle, the seat of The Earl of Strathmore. The side plaques are representations of the Strathmore Coat of Arms, decorated with heather and hundreds of piped sugar blossoms.
The whole cake sits upon the original oak base and is contained within a bespoke wood and glass case.
Gary Magold, manager and keeper of the Peek Frean Museum, speaks to Southwark News about the vandalised cake and its restoration...
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The unique project received media attention from around the world...
The Discovery Channel, Canada filmed
this short package with
Judy Banks and Judith Lynn
(the icing bags!)
focusing on the laser scanning technology we used to help recreate the Royal Wedding Cake.
Click to read the special Feature Article about the Queen's Cake Restoration Project, by Katherine Waters,
published on the Atlas Obscura website. (25.02.2020)
Video: BBC Midlands Today - 20 November 2017
Listen to this brilliant podcast from Proof | America's Test Kitchen
View more photos and videos of the project
on the dedicated Facebook event page
The Peek Frean Museum is open to visitors by appointment only.
The Biscuit Factory, 100 Drummond Road, Bermondsey, London SE16 4DG
For information about the museum, or to arrange a visit, contact Gary Magold
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For further information on The Queen's Cake Restoration Project, please contact Judy Banks or Judith Lynn.