The village of Port Sunlight has a fascinating history just waiting to be explored, writes Victoria Jones
Photographs: Jacqui Cordingley

IT doesn’t take long to realise that there’s something special about Port Sunlight. Nestled on the Wirral between Lower Bebington and New Ferry, the village is now a picturesque conservation area with a strong community spirit. And it’s all thanks to the hard work of a Lancashire soap maker.

Purpose built more than a century ago, the village today is a  conservation area which attracts hordes of visitors each year. It features more than 900 listed buildings, from picturesque houses – the majority of which are now privately owned – to public buildings including the renowned Lady Lever Art Gallery.



But re-wind to 1887 and Port Sunlight’s unique history comes to light. It was at this time that Bolton-born manufacturer William Hesketh Lever was searching for a new location for his soap factory which, at the time, was located in Warrington.

The businessman, who was later ennobled as Lord Leverhulme, was looking for an area close to a river so that materials could be easily imported, and near to a railway line for easy exportation. The businessman chose an abandoned marshland which was soon to become Port Sunlight, named after his Sunlight Soap brand.Lever wasn’t just thinking of his business however; he also wanted his workers to benefit from the move. As Carol Darlington, marketing manager of the Port Sunlight Village Trust, explains: ‘He wanted to give his workers a green village with good houses and give them a better standard of living by getting them out of the slums they were living in. He did a lot for them. He often took the whole village on trips away.’ 

Lever built up housing and schools for the factory workers. He looked after the residents by providing a hospital and sports and community groups.

And in 1922, he opened the Lady Lever Art Gallery. He had built up quite a collection of art and was struggling to find space to display it, so he decided to build the gallery which still attracts around 170,000 visitors each year. In keeping with his vision for the village, Lever wanted art to enrich his workers’ lives. As he said at the gallery opening: ‘Art can be to everyone an inspiration. It is within the reach of all of us.’

And that is something which the gallery strives to attain even today. Lever’s legacy lives on at the Lady Lever Art Gallery - as marketing officer Ann Flenley explains: ‘He saw the value of art and his collection was something he wanted to share. He was very forward thinking. And his mindset is our guide to how we move forward now.’

In fact, everywhere you look in Port Sunlight, there is evidence of Lever’s vision. The residents and workers are determined that his values still remain. And that is particularly true at the Unilever factory where they still make soap and cleaning products today.

Elaine Hazlehurst, external affairs coordinator at the factory, said: ‘There is a very similar culture and theme to our values. Our mission statement is an adaptation of Lever’s mission; we’ve just brought it up to date,’ she says. ‘He was a man of great vision. It would be interesting to see how he would operate today if he was around.’
He may not be around today, but his products certainly are. In fact, one of his more famous brands, Persil, is celebrating its centenary this year, as it began production in 1909 in Warrington: ‘We’re telling our employees all about the history and they’re very proud to be part of it,’ Elaine says.

This sense of pride does not stop at the factory gates, though. The whole village is delighted to have such a unique background and determined to protect its history and sense of community. Lever built up a village of content workers who felt looked after and had a real sense of community spirit. And even without him keeping an eye on them, these feelings still remain, because in 1999 Unilever set up the Port Sunlight Village Trust to take responsibility for the village’s environment and surroundings.

The Trust looks after all front gardens of the Grade II listed buildings and offers incentives for villagers to look after their back gardens by holding an annual garden competition. Through the Trust’s hard work as well as the co-operation of the residents, Port Sunlight has remained the pretty, charming village which Lever built up. As one local says: ‘It’s obvious why people work and live here; it’s the beauty and the landscape.’


But it’s not just the locals who enjoy this special village; Port Sunlight receives around 300,000 tourists each year. One of the main attractions is the Port Sunlight Museum which records and displays the area’s fascinating history: ‘We see ourselves as a starting point for visitors to the village and the number of visitors seems to be increasing each year,’ says museum manager Katherine Lynch.

It may be attracting an increasing number of tourists, but Port Sunlight still remains the villager’s village. It certainly is a special place. And that is all thanks to a very special man.

A Lancashire lad

William Hesketh Lever or Lord Leverhulme created his masterpiece in Cheshire, but his roots lay in Lancashire. Here are just a few of his red rose links:

•    He was born in Bolton in 1851, the first son in a family of six daughters.
•    In 1886 he established a soap manufacturing company called Lever Brothers (now part of Unilever) with his brother James.
•    Sunlight soap, his brand of mass produced soap, was first produced in Warrington.
•    He met his future wife, draper’s daughter Elizabeth Hulme, at school in Bolton
•    He assisted in the rebuilding of Bolton School, and gave the town Lever Park and Leverhulme Park. He also restored the Hall i'th' Wood museum, saving it from demolition, then donated it to Bolton.
•    Between 1918 and 1919 he was Mayor of Bolton.
•    After studying the history of Liverpool castle, demolished in 1725, he ordered a replica of it to be built on his land at Rivington, near Bolton. The castle was recreated as a ruin, as it had been after the Civil War battles.

Port Sunlight receives around 300,000 tourists each year