Peek Freans is a biscuit company based in Bermondsey, London. It is a well-known brand of biscuits and other sweets owned by several food companies. Peek & Frean's was founded in 1857 by James Peek and George Hender Frean. The bakery's first location was on Mill Street in Dockhead. However, due to a long period of expansion, Peek Frean's quickly outgrew the Mill Street Site. Fire destroyed the first location, the company relocated to its larger site on Clements Road in 1873.
During my visit at the Peek Frean's introduced some of today's most well-known biscuits over the course of its long history. The "Garibaldi" biscuit, one of the first, was introduced in 1861, while the "Marie" cookie was created in 1874 to commemorate the marriage of Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria's second son, to Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna.
The "Bourbon" (formerly known as the "Creola") followed in 1910, and the "Shortcake" hit the market in 1912. Peek Frean's made Twiglets and Cheeselets during the interwar period. All are current family favorites.
Furthermore, the Peek Frean's factory, which had been in operation for 123 years and had given the neighborhood the nickname "Biscuit Town," closed its doors in 1989. When Nabisco & Reynolds (later acquired by KKR) took over in the 1980s, its decision to close the Bermondsey facility in 1987 was met with disappointment because it resulted in the layoff of several locals and the loss of significant employment for the community. Following the initial shock and rage, a small group of dedicated former employees set out to collect and preserve the illustrious company's documents and historical artifacts.
Along with a donation from Peek Frean's, other locals who had previously worked there were eager to contribute their valuable Peek Frean's memorabilia to the growing collection. As a result, a collection housed in Rotherhithe's former Pumphouse Educational Museum near Lavender Pond contributed to the preservation of Peek Frean's legacy.
The Pumphouse Museum was fortunate to receive a Heritage Lottery Fund grant in 2004 in order to preserve and present the collection. They created exhibition cabinets for the diverse collection of objects, as well as superb interpretation panels that depicted Peek Freans' and the Bermondsey factory's history, operations, and output.
The exhibition was previously launched by Chris Carr, the son of Peek Frean's previous Managing Director. Unfortunately, the Council discontinued its financial support in 2010, forcing the Pumphouse Educational Museum to close. After a brief struggle to keep the museum and educational facilities open, the charity that managed the facility closed its doors on the day that a blue plaque honoring the museum was erected.
The Peek Frean's collection was put on hold while choices on the future of the Museum's larger collection were being made. However, in June 2012, when the building started to become hazardous, the Peek Frean's collection was miraculously salvaged and transported back to The Biscuit Factory.
Gary and Ken (former Peek Freans employees) have been working on the collection's new curation in their spare time since then. They have re-erected the display cases and used the information panels to provide more detail about the company's history. Because of his particular interest in the Peek Frean's Club, which organized several athletic events for residents and employees, Frank has made many new discoveries.
In addition, several items purchased on eBay and elsewhere have been added to the collection to broaden the scope of the displays. The new Museum is only accessible by appointment, and visitors must be escorted to and from the building because it is shared with a number of other organizations. However, as the photos show, it is well worth a visit because it provides a priceless glimpse into the lives of many people who have lived in Bermondsey for more than 125 years.
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