Why was Port Sunlight Village built?
The village was built by William Hesketh Lever in 1888 to house the workers for his soap factory. Industrial England was grim in those days: working class people lived in tenements or cramped two-up, two-down terraced houses, with shared washing and toilet facilities for up to six families. There was little outdoor space and certainly no grass, trees or flowers.
Helping other people
Some Victorian philanthropists, of which Lever could be argued to be one, wanted better conditions for the working classes. Factory conditions were not great (although his factory was one of the better ones), so at least in their free time at home, Lever wanted his workers to be content. He was a deeply Christian man, teetotal and believed in charity. We don’t seem to have many philanthropists about today.
The Village is built
900 houses were built – now Grade ll listed. A feature of the development is that over 30 architects were involved, so the estate doesn’t look or feel like a typical modern estate, with a cookie cutter aesthetic. In fact, quite the opposite. There are Arts and Crafts designs and nearly every period of architectural design, with a focus on good workmanship are found here. He also built a community with a school, a church, shops, a theatre, an art gallery and a pub. There are wide avenues, grassed areas, parkland and lots of trees. The houses are designed so that all the ugly unmentionables, including rubbish bins, are kept to the rear.
A close shave
The tour guide told us that Lever had booked to go on the ill-fated Titanic in 1912 (his luxury soap was in the first class cabins), but cancelled as his only son was getting married and he didn’t want to miss the wedding.
Port Sunlight Village today
The Village was set up as a charity in 1999 and is now responsible for 300 rented houses and overseeing the Village. (600 houses are in private hands. There are restrictions on developments and paint colours etc.) There is a museum and visitor centre and shop, from where you can book your just over hour-long walking tour, that I would highly recommend. The shop has some nice items for sales: I bought greetings cards and some hand knitted gloves. The Lady Lever Art Gallery holds some wonderful works by Millais, Rossetti Gainsborough, Reynolds, Turner and Constable. Downstairs is a café. It was very noisy when I visited and a bit lacking in atmosphere. (There is a tearoom, but it was closed for a private function when I visited.) I didn’t have time to see the museum or the worker’s cottage, but they are on the list for next time.
Summary
A lovely place to visit for half a day or so. I recommend the walking tour and the museum and shop.
Where is it?
It’s in The Wirral, near Liverpool.
By car
It’s about an hour from Manchester and 15 minutes from Liverpool. There is ample free parking. Head for the museum and park in front of the art gallery.
By train
The Village has its own station, Port Sunlight. Trains run regularly from Liverpool Lime Street and take 20 minutes.
Booking and more information: you may book the tour and the museum online.
Port Sunlight Village website
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