Exploring Port Sunlight: a visionary idea

In 1888, a visionary idea to provide a beautiful place to live for working class people became a reality

The Port Sunlight website

In 1888 William Hesketh Lever, owner of the Sunlight Soap factory on England’s Wirral Peninsula, founded a village to house his workers. He based it on some innovative principles for his time (and perhaps they also seem quite radical still today?) His vision was to provide his workers with decent, sanitary housing in a considered architectural and picturesque form. This was not mere philanthropy. His thinking was that people who have comfortable and fulfilling lives will work harder and will stay loyal to their employer.

A couple of similar models had been tried elsewhere. But Lever’s thinking went further, beyond comfortable housing to an overall improved quality of life. There were green spaces and community meeting places. Workers were not simply encouraged but obliged to participate in certain educational and creative activities.

And looks mattered! The style of the houses reflected that of the times, with revivalist nods to Tudor, Gothic and more. Throughout there was an emphasis on traditional craftsmanship, in line with the Arts and Crafts movement.

Today most of the houses are privately occupied, many still by people who work for what is now Lever Brothers. But a couple have been turned into visitor attractions: one a museum, the other restored to its original appearance as a worker’s cottage. There is also a large art gallery with a significant collection, several places to enjoy refreshments, a church and some lovely open spaces. It makes an easy and rewarding day out from nearby Liverpool. And it should also make a very pleasant Monday Walk for Jo.

Getting to Port Sunlight

We took a Mersey Rail train from Liverpool to Port Sunlight Station (on the Wirral line) from where it is a short walk to the village. You can also alight at Bebington Station which brings you in at the other end of the village.

Exploring the village

Arriving at Port Sunlight meant that we entered the village from the south. Almost immediately I was struck by the variety in the architectural styles of the houses. No two blocks are alike.

House details

We soon came to the southern end of the central feature of the village. A wide garden strip is flanked by two roads of attractive houses. At this end is a more recent addition, a memorial to the victims of the Hillsborough disaster of 1989 which hit very hard in Liverpool and the surrounding area. In this, the deadliest disaster in British sporting history, 97 fans were killed and are commemorated here.

The Hillsborough Memorial and view along the gardens

Further along this drive is the war memorial, which commemorates employees and village residents who lost their lives in both World Wars. It was commissioned by Lever Brothers and completed in 1921. WWII names were added subsequently, as with so many war memorials in our country.

The War Memorial

The museum and worker’s cottage

At the far end of this long drive, on the right, is the Port Sunlight museum, in what was originally the Girls’ Club. It has some interesting displays telling the story of the village (which I omitted to photograph!) and a good gift shop.

Some of the most interesting (to me) displays were:

• A recreated 1900s grocers’ shop filled with Lever Brothers’ soap packaging
• Sunlight Spirit, an engaging 20-minute film telling the story of the village using archival footage mixed with actors portraying real residents talking about their lives here
• A display exploring Port Sunlight’s place in the story of the Beatles

The film in particular highlighted how different were the lives of workers here than in most parts of the country at the time. There were social events and they were also expected to take part in learning activities as a condition of their employment and housing.

Your museum ticket also includes entry to the worker’s cottage, right next door. Inside the cottage is the recreated early twentieth century home of the Carr family, who were real long-time tenants and worked in the Lever Brothers factory. The rooms include the parlour, scullery, main bedroom and child’s bedroom. I was fascinated by all the little details and noted that in the scullery many of the cleaning products were of course made at the Lever factory.

Parlour and scullery details

The Lady Lever Art Gallery

Near here, at the far end of the drive, is the village’s impressive art gallery. This was built by Lever after the death of his beloved wife, as a memorial to her and to house his growing art collection. Following its opening in 1922 the factory workers were expected to visit it once a week so their quality of life could be enhanced by the beautiful objects on display.

One of the galleries and detail of a fireplace

Entry to the gallery is free and it is definitely worth devoting some of your time in the village to exploring its collections.

Among the more unusual objects is a collection of 166 Chinese snuff bottles and Chinese porcelain ornaments. Another room is devoted to furniture and memorabilia associated with Napoleon, as Lever was fascinated by him. There is also an excellent collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings. I was pleased to spot ‘Scapegoat’, by William Holman Hunt, as we’d recently been discussing this very painting in my U3A art history group.

In the Lever Art Gallery

The basement of the gallery has a large self-service café where I enjoyed a drink and cheese scone for my lunch. But sorry Jo, no photos of the scone as I was too busy chatting to friends!

Other significant buildings

On the road behind the museum, Church Drive, is (unsurprisingly) the village church, Christ Church. This was built in 1904 in the Gothic revival style. It was originally a non-denominational church, but is now a United Reformed Church and holds weekly services.

Outside is the Founder’s Tomb, the burial place of William Lever himself (1925), his wife Elizabeth (1913) and their only son, William Hulme Lever (1949).

Church and Lever family tomb

Turning right at the end of Church Drive onto Bolton Road we come to Hulme Hall. This was originally the dining hall for Lever Brothers’ women employees. In the 1950s and 1960s it was a popular dance venue. It was here on 18^th August 1962 that Ringo Starr performed with the Beatles for the first time. The hall lays claim to being the true birthplace of the Fab Four!

Hulme Hall

The Dell

At the southern end of the village is a valley garden, where a creek once flowed. An attractive bridge crosses the path below, from which you get lovely views of another significant building, the Lyceum. This was the first school in the village and was also used for Sunday services before the building of Christ Church. Today it is a learning centre for school visits.

The Lyceum from the Dell Bridge and a cute squirrel in the park

More houses

From the Dell it is a short walk back to Port Sunlight station. But I’ll finish with a few more photos of village houses that caught my eye as I wandered its streets.

House details

I visited Port Sunlight in May 2026