Wikipedia

Port Sunlight

Port Sunlightis amodel villagein theMetropolitan Borough of Wirral,Merseyside,England. It is located between LowerBebingtonandNew Ferry,on theWirral Peninsula.Port Sunlight was built byLever Brothersto accommodate workers in its soap factory (now part ofUnilever); work commenced in 1888. The name is derived from Lever Brothers' most popular brand of cleaning agent,Sunlight.

Port Sunlight
An example of Port Sunlight village architecture
Port Sunlight is located in Merseyside
Port Sunlight
Port Sunlight
Location withinMerseyside
Population1,450 (2001 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSJ338847
•London176 mi (283 km)[2]SE
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWIRRAL
Postcode districtCH62
Dialling code0151
ISO 3166codeGB-WRL
PoliceMerseyside
FireMerseyside
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Merseyside
53°21′11″N2°59′53″W/ 53.353°N 2.998°W/53.353; -2.998

Port Sunlight contains 900 Grade IIlisted buildings,and was declared aconservation areain 1978.[3]Port Sunlight has been informally suggested forWorld Heritage Site(WHS) status[4]to protect it from development and to preserve the unique character forfuture generations;however, it is not yet on the current UK "tentative list" for future consideration as a WHS.[5]In the2001 Census,its population was 1,450.[1]

History

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In 1887,Lever Brothersbegan looking for a new site on which to expand its soap-making business, which was at that time based inWarrington.The company bought 56 acres (23 ha) of flat unused marshy land inCheshire,south of theRiver Mersey.It was large enough to allow space for expansion, and had a prime location between the river and a railway line. The site became Port Sunlight, whereWilliam Leverbuilt his works and amodel villageto house his employees. William Lever (who was created abaronetin December 1911, and was raised to thePeerage of the United Kingdomas the 1st Baron Leverhulme in June 1917, and was further advanced to being the 1stViscount Leverhulmein December 1922) personally supervised planning the village, and employed nearly thirty different architects. Between 1899 and 1914, 800 houses were built to house a population of 3,500. The garden village had allotments and public buildings including theLady Lever Art Gallery,a cottage hospital, schools, a concert hall, open air swimming pool, church, and atemperancehotel. Lever introduced welfare schemes, and provided for the education and entertainment of his workforce, encouraging recreation and organisations which promoted art, literature, science or music.

The aims of Lord Leverhulme, as he became, were "to socialise and Christianise business relations and get back to that close family brotherhood that existed in the good old days of hand labour." He claimed that Port Sunlight was an exercise inprofit sharing,but rather than share profits directly, he invested them in the village. He said, "It would not do you much good if you send it down your throats in the form of bottles of whisky, bags of sweets, or fat geese at Christmas. On the other hand, if you leave the money with me, I shall use it to provide for you everything that makes life pleasant – nice houses, comfortable homes, and healthy recreation."[6]

The historical significance of Port Sunlight lies in its combination of model industrial housing, providing materially decent conditions for working people, with the architectural and landscape values of thegarden suburb,influenced by the ideas ofWilliam Morrisand theArts and Crafts Movement.Each block of houses was designed by a different architect. The backs of any of the houses cannot be seen, and each house is unique. In terms of architectural features, there is half-timbering, carved woodwork and masonry, pargetting (ornamental plaster work) moulded and twisted chimneys and leaded glazed patterns. Some houses were built inFlemishstyle, with bricks imported fromBelgium.

Geography

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Port Sunlight is on the eastern side of theWirral Peninsula,at the western side of theRiver Mersey.The area is approximately 10.5 km (6.5 mi) south-south-east of theIrish SeaatNew Brightonand about 8 km (5 mi) east-north-east of theDee EstuaryatGayton.The area is between 10 and 23 m (33 and 75 ft) above sea level.[7]

Community

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Lady Lever Art Gallery

One of the great buildings in Port Sunlight is theLady Lever Art Gallery.A keen art collector, Lever travelled all over the world and liked to show the villagers the art he collected. Opened in 1922 by PrincessBeatrice,the art gallery shows Lever's collection and modern-day artwork. The collection includes a range of furniture, paintings, sculptures and ceramics.

Other notable buildings include theLyceum,the Gladstone Theatre (which hosts local amateur dramatic productions), Hesketh Hall (which housed the local branch of theRoyal British Legionuntil 2013, when it was converted into 13 flats)[8]and the "Bridge Inn"public house.

The village containsChrist Church,aUnited Reformed Church,and opposite is a small primary school. Church Drive Primary School is open to people living outside the village and residents. There is awar memorialbyGoscombe Johnin the village centre in memory of soldiers that died inWorld War I.Port Sunlight has a water feature. The open air swimming pool is now a garden centre and cafe.

Hulme Hallwas built as a women's dining hall, but is now in use as a local community centre and hosts events.

The Cottage Hospital, opened in 1907, was closed for many years but refurbished and reopened in 2008 as the Leverhulme Hotel.

Until the 1980s, all residents were employees of Unilever and their families. During this decade the houses were first sold privately. The former village school is now aworking men's club.

ThePort Sunlight River Park,on the banks of the River Mersey betweenCammell LairdShipyard andBromborough Dock,[9]opened to the public in 2014.[10]The park is opposite Otterspool promenade and offers a view of Liverpool's waterfront, including theAnglican Cathedraland theRoyal Albert Dock.It is an open, natural space that has been created on the former landfill site at Bromborough Dock.[11]The site has been taken over byThe Land Trust,'a charity that is committed to the long term, sustainable management of open space for community benefit'.[12]Walkways allow the public to appreciate the wildflowers and other wildlife; there is also a wetland area.[10]

Transport

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The area is served by bothBebingtonandPort Sunlightrailway stations, on theWirral Lineof theMerseyrailnetwork. There are regular train services toChester,Ellesmere Portand toLiverpoolviaBirkenhead.

Cultural references

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Port Sunlight was widely celebrated. In 1912, it became the subject of a hit West End musical comedy,The Sunshine Girl,at theGaiety Theatre, London.It starredPhyllis Dare,one of the most popular pin-ups of the Edwardian era, and was written byPaul Alfred Rubens.The show introduced thetangodance to British audiences. In 1919, Lever Brothers made a 40-minute-longsponsored film,Port Sunlight,to promote the town and factory.

The Sunlight Cottages inGlasgoware rare surviving relics from the series of Great Exhibitions held inKelvingrove Parkin 1888, 1901 and 1911. These rambling, asymmetrical cottages were constructed in 1901 as replicas of two of the Port Sunlight houses. Designed in an idealised Elizabethan half-timbered style by Exhibition architectJames Miller,the houses are picturesquely sited high above the Kelvin. Donated to the city of Glasgow by Lord Leverhulme after the close of the Exhibition, the cottages have been used as park workers' housing ever since.[13][14]

Port Sunlight was also used as a filming location for the British television seriesPeaky Blindersnumerous times.[15]

Notable people

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Hulme Hallwas the venue for drummerRingo Starr's official debut as a member ofThe Beatleson 18 August 1962.[16][17]It is also the site of the band's first ever broadcast interview. The interview was with localdisc jockeyMonty Lister and recorded forRadio Clatterbridgeon 27 October 1962.[18]

Fiona Bruce,host (2008 to present) of the long-running British television showAntiques Roadshow,grew up in Port Sunlight. In her introduction to an episode of the programme (Series 35 Episode 2)[19]set in the village, she stood in front of her childhood home and explained that her father was a managing director of a division of Unilever.

Others

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  • The Bridge Inn
  • Church Drive school
  • Thewar memorialby Goscombe John

See also

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References

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  1. ^abWirral 2001 Census: Port Sunlight,Metropolitan Borough of Wirral,retrieved23 December2007[permanent dead link]
  2. ^"Coordinate Distance Calculator".boulter.com.Retrieved6 March2016.
  3. ^Port Sunlight Conservation Area,Metropolitan Borough of Wirral,retrieved23 December2007
  4. ^Hansard 8 March 2005,parliament.uk,retrieved8 February2008
  5. ^Current UK World Heritage Site "tentative list",ICOMOS UK,retrieved2 January2024
  6. ^William Hesketh Lever: Port Sunlight and Port Fishlight,Development Trust Association, archived fromthe originalon 9 December 2007,retrieved17 November2007
  7. ^"SRTM & Ordnance Survey Elevation Data in PHP".Retrieved4 November2016.
  8. ^"Green light for homes at historic Hesketh Hall".Wirral Globe.Retrieved16 May2013.
  9. ^"Port Sunlight River Park – How To Find Us".portsunlightriverpark.com.Retrieved9 March2016.
  10. ^ab"Port Sunlight River Park – The Land Trust".The Land Trust.Retrieved9 March2016.
  11. ^"Port Sunlight River Park – Facilities".portsunlightriverpark.com.Retrieved9 March2016.
  12. ^"Who we are – The Land Trust".The Land Trust.Retrieved9 March2016.
  13. ^The Scotland Guide: Glasgow: Sunlight Cottages.Retrieved 13 October 2014
  14. ^RCAHMS Site Record, Sunlight Cottages
  15. ^Rigby, Emma (29 April 2014)."Port Sunlight transported back in time for Peaky Blinders filming".Wirral Globe.Retrieved5 February2019.
  16. ^Ayoub, Chuck,The Beatles Timeline 1962,archived fromthe originalon 28 January 2008,retrieved28 January2008
  17. ^A Beatle Tour to Wirral,Magical Beatle Tours, archived fromthe originalon 17 January 2008,retrieved28 January2008
  18. ^Beatles,Radio Clatterbridge, archived fromthe originalon 11 May 2008,retrieved2 April2008
  19. ^Antiques Roadshow,retrieved5 August2015[permanent dead link]
  20. ^"Wirral-born pop icon Pete Burns dies after cardiac arrest, aged 57".

Sources

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Wikivoyage has a travel guide forPort Sunlight.
Wikimedia Commons has media related toPort Sunlight.
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