Port Sunlight, The Wirral

Port Sunlight, named after a brand of soap manufactured by Lever Brothers, is a picturesque little village nestling in the heart of the Wirral. Picturesque with beautiful landscaped parklands set amongst quaint rows of houses purposely built for Lever Brother's factory workers overlooked by some impressive public buildings including an art gallery, church and striking war memorial.

It was in 1887 that William Lever made the decision ...
...The village, he named Port Sunlight - a port on the river Mersey and Sunlight one of the brands of soap that Lever Brothers made.

You enter Port Sunlight from the busy A41 and it almost like you have stepped back in time. Just yards away from the crazy fast-paced hustle and bustle of today's society, the village radiates calmness and serenity. A unique quality for a village! I have not experienced anything like it anywhere else. So ... more

Port Sunlight, named after a brand of soap manufactured by Lever Brothers, is a picturesque little village nestling in the heart of the Wirral. Picturesque with beautiful landscaped parklands set amongst quaint rows of houses purposely built for Lever Brother's factory workers overlooked by some impressive public buildings including an art gallery, church and striking war memorial.

It was in 1887 that William Lever made the decision to relocate his Warrington soap factory. The Wirral was ideal for the factory needs with excellent transport links by road, rail and water. By March 1888 work had started on building the factory. As well as the factory, Lever had a village built for his workers (In fact until the 1980s all of the houses were still occupied by employees of Unilever). The village, he named Port Sunlight - a port on the river Mersey and Sunlight one of the brands of soap that Lever Brothers made.

You enter Port Sunlight from the busy A41 and it almost like you have stepped back in time. Just yards away from the crazy fast-paced hustle and bustle of today's society, the village radiates calmness and serenity. A unique quality for a village! I have not experienced anything like it anywhere else. So unique is its character that it has been put forward for world heritage site status to protect it from development.

The first thing that strikes you as you drive (or walk preferably) around the village is that each row of houses is very different from each other. Uniqueness was one of the key ideas in Lever's vision for the village. He had a passion for architecture and employed over thirty architects to achieve this.

Lever himself sketched out the original plan for what he termed his "garden suburb". In his vision, he did not want to simply house his workers but to look after their welfare, physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually as well. So in his plan, he included a school, a library, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, social clubs, a hospital, a fire station, a bank, a church and a pub.

The completed effect was (and still is) stunning. The streets are designed so that only the fronts of the houses are seen. Today a staggering 900 buildings in the village are Grade II listed buildings!!

Some of the public buildings have sadly disappeared. The heated open air swimming pool was replaced by the garden centre that now stands on its site Whilst the garden centre is very nice, I would still have preferred the swimming pool!

The first of the public buildings to be built was Gladstone Hall (now The Gladstone Theatre where an amateur dramatic group still performs regularly), officially opened in 1891 by the former Prime Minister William Gladstone and close friend of Lever.

The Bridge Inn built in 1901, although designed to provide the workers with somewhere to have a drink, the drink wasn't originally meant to be alcoholic. It was a Temperance Hotel in keeping with Lever's philosophy as a teetotaller. The workers had different ideas though and voted to change this. So in 1903, The Bridge Inn served beer and spirits.

Christ Church United Reformed Church, founded in 1904, was b uilt with the local Helsby sandstone. in the Gothic manner. Monuments to Lord Lever who died in 1925, his wife and family family are now housed in the church.

To get the most out of your visit to the village, a trip to the Heritage Centre is a must Entry is a mere £1 for adults and 60p for children. Its exhibits tell the story of the village through information boards and film. The centre operates a seasonal programme of guided walks (£3 for adults and £1 for children at the time of writing) or there is a self-guided tour available for anyone to follow at their leisure. It also has the obligatory gift shop where all sorts of souvenirs can be bought including of course Sunlight soap!!

The highlight of the village for me has to be the stately Lady Lever Art Gallery. Built sometime after the village in 1922, the gallery is situated right at its heart dominating its surroundings. It was founded by Lever in memory of his wife. A flight of stairs lead up to the neo-classical façade complete with Doric columns. Inside prepare to be awed by the incredible collection of Pre-Raphaelite works (be sure to see my favourite one of all The Scapegoat by Holman Hunt) and impressive Wedgwood collection (all part of Lever's own collection!). The gallery is open every day between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and entry is free!

Built into the layout of the village are a number of landscaped gardens including the Dell, a sunken garden with picturesque bridges. There is a fountain in front of the Lady Lever and a number of statues dotted around.

The War Memorial stands in the centre of the village. A glorious monument to those it commemorates, it is one of the largest in Britain. Constructed from granite and surrounded by bronze statues of woman and children protected by armed men, it is a magnificent work and an attraction in its own right.

The village was to prove inspirational. Not only did it motivate others to copy the idea prompting the development of a number of model villages including the one in Bournville, but it was the incentive for a musical! The Sunshine Girl opened in 1911 at the Gaiety Theatre in London and even introduced the tango to Britain. Not a bad achievement for a small village.

There are a few options for eating and drinking in the village. There is a lovely café located in the Art Gallery where you can get a decent meal for a reasonable price or simply a cup of tea if you prefer. The food is always good quality (I haven't been disappointed yet) and the range available varied catering for most tastes. There is a small café also in the garden centre for drinks and snacks. And then of course there is the Bridge Inn whic yes still sells alcahol as well as food.

Getting couldn't be simpler. Well that was one of the main reasons for locating the factory there in the first place! Trains stop at the Port Sunlight Railway station every 15 minutes all day, every day from Birkenhead, Liverpool, Chester and Ellesmere Port.. By road, simply follow the A41 and look for the brown direction signs. The Mersey Ferry can carry you accross the Mersey to Birkenhead just a few miles away. Liverpool airport is in close proximity. And of course don't forget the buses which also run to and from the village at regular intervals operated by three seperate ompanies - Crosville, Raddoneur and Northwest Travel .

Marvel at the accomplishments of the incredible man that Lord William Lever must have been. Stand at the obelisk to his memory, just to the side of the Lady Lever, and consider what this man actually did when he founded Port Sunlight. The four-figure bronze statue at the base represents Industry, Charity, Education and Art - which about sums up Lord Lever and his ideal. Standing on top of the black granite obelisk, some 1100 cm high, is the man himself with arms raised high towards to sky.

If you are inspired to know more visit the impressive website http://www.portsunlightvillage.com/default.asp which contains much more information about the village and its history complete with some wonderful photographs.

Better still, go and visit the village. You won't be disappointed. It is a satisfying day out - one of my favourite places of all time. You can even book one of the listed houses as a holiday venue (see the website) !!
 

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