Twelve-metre ‘Wedding Cake’ sculpture on grounds of country estate near Aylesbury faces removal
A three-storey, 12-metre “Wedding Cake” sculpture once hailed as a “temple to love” must be removed by 2036 after faults in its ceramic tiles raised health and safety concerns.
The work by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos was announced in 2023 as an attraction at the Waddesdon Manor estate.
Inspired by Lisbon’s ceramic traditions, it was designed to look like a wedding cake and clad in tiles made by the Viúva Lamego manufactory, which had been operating for 170 years at the time.
The project was described as Vasconcelos’ most ambitious commission to date. Its 11-metre diameter was chosen because it was the smallest circle that could be built using the manufactory’s standard 14cm square tiles.
The work celebrated festivity and marriage, and described Vasconcelos’ practice as drawing on influences including Chinese and Japanese ceramics and Brazilian carnival.
Visitors were invited to explore its levels and balconies. Waddesdon director Pippa Shirley said the commission reflected the estate’s spirit of hospitality and artistic creativity, while the late Lord Rothschild said he expected it to make a great impact on visitors and wedding guests.
Planning documents reveal the Rothschild Foundation wanted the sculpture removed as soon as possible because faults in its tiles and ornaments posed health and safety risks. A council officer’s report said no viable solution had been identified.
In February 2026, Buckinghamshire Council approved a change to the listed building consent, allowing the sculpture to be removed earlier than originally planned. The concrete base, paving and gravel paths could remain as a setting for changing sculpture exhibitions until 2036.
The condition set January 18, 2036 as the latest date for the Wedding Cake and its floodlights to be removed. The council has now approved a further change to what must happen after the sculpture is taken down.
Under the latest consent, the concrete slab and foundations, gravel, paths and hardstanding must also be removed. The enclosed area must be made good with soil and laid to grass within six months of the sculpture’s removal.
The sculpture stands beside the Grade II-listed Dairy, within Waddesdon’s Grade I historic park and garden and the village conservation area. The council’s heritage officer said the revised plans would preserve the historic setting.
The Gardens Trust did not wish to comment, archaeology raised no objection, and there were no public representations.
The decision notice does not confirm when dismantling will begin. The January 18, 2036 deadline remains, although the earlier application said the Foundation wanted the work done sooner.