Port Sunlight
Port Sunlight | ||
---|---|---|
Metropolitan county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | WIRRAL | |
Postcode district | CH62 | |
Dialling code | 0151 | |
ISO 3166 code | GB-WRL | |
Police | Merseyside | |
Fire | Merseyside | |
Ambulance | North West | |
UK Parliament | ||
Port Sunlight is a model village in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is located between Lower Bebington and New Ferry, on the Wirral Peninsula. Port Sunlight was built by Lever Brothers to accommodate workers in its soap factory (now part of Unilever); work commenced in 1888. The name is derived from Lever Brothers' most popular brand of cleaning agent, Sunlight.
Port Sunlight contains 900 Grade II
History
In 1887,
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 in profit 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 the
Geography
Port Sunlight is on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula, at the western side of the River Mersey. The area is approximately 10.5 km (6.5 mi) south-south-east of the Irish Sea at New Brighton and about 8 km (5 mi) east-north-east of the Dee Estuary at Gayton. The area is between 10 and 23 m (33 and 75 ft) above sea level.[7]
Community
One of the great buildings in Port Sunlight is the Lady 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 Princess Beatrice, 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 the
The village contains Christ Church, a United 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 a war memorial by Goscombe John in the village centre in memory of soldiers that died in World War I. Port Sunlight has a water feature. The open air swimming pool is now a garden centre and cafe.
Hulme Hall was 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 a working men's club.
The Port Sunlight River Park, on the banks of the River Mersey between Cammell Laird Shipyard and Bromborough Dock,[9] opened to the public in 2014.[10] The park is opposite Otterspool promenade and offers a view of Liverpool's waterfront, including the Anglican Cathedral and the Royal 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 by The 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
The area is served by both
Cultural references
Port Sunlight was widely celebrated. In 1912, it became the subject of a hit West End musical comedy,
The Sunlight Cottages in Glasgow are rare surviving relics from the series of Great Exhibitions held in Kelvingrove Park in 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 architect James 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 series Peaky Blinders numerous times.[15]
Notable people
Hulme Hall was the venue for drummer Ringo Starr's official debut as a member of The Beatles on 18 August 1962.[16][17] It is also the site of the band's first ever broadcast interview. The interview was with local disc jockey Monty Lister and recorded for Radio Clatterbridge on 27 October 1962.[18]
Fiona Bruce, host (2008 to present) of the long-running British television show Antiques 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
- William Owen (1846–1910), architect, collaborated in the construction of Port Sunlight
- Thomas Bartley (1874–1951), footballer, played at Port Sunlight
- James Wootton-Davies (1884–1964), politician, worked as a chemist in Port Sunlight
- Arthur Herbert Procter (1890–1973), Victoria Cross recipient, educated in Port Sunlight
- Arthur Charles Evans (1916–2011), author, employed at Lever Brothers
- Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx (1916–2018), wife of Prime Minister Harold Wilson, employed at Lever Brothers
- Sean Hughes (1946–1990), politician, employed at Unilever
- Jim Molyneux (1895-1950), footballer, born in Port Sunlight
- Pete Burns (1959–2016), singer-songwriter, television personality, born in Port Sunlight[20]
Gallery
-
The Bridge Inn
-
Church Drive school
-
The war memorial by Goscombe John
See also
- Listed buildings in Port Sunlight
- Hartley Village
- Sunlight Chambers, Lever Brothers' former offices on Parliament Street, Dublin, constructed between 1900 and 1910.
- Sunlight Chambers, Lever Brothers' former offices on Bigg Market, Newcastle upon Tyne, constructed between 1901 and 1902.
References
- ^ a b Wirral 2001 Census: Port Sunlight, Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, retrieved 23 December 2007[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Coordinate Distance Calculator". boulter.com. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ Port Sunlight Conservation Area, Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, retrieved 23 December 2007
- ^ Hansard 8 March 2005, parliament.uk, retrieved 8 February 2008
- ^ Current UK World Heritage Site "tentative list", ICOMOS UK, retrieved 2 January 2024
- ^ William Hesketh Lever: Port Sunlight and Port Fishlight, Development Trust Association, archived from the original on 9 December 2007, retrieved 17 November 2007
- ^ "SRTM & Ordnance Survey Elevation Data in PHP". Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ^ "Green light for homes at historic Hesketh Hall". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "Port Sunlight River Park – How To Find Us". portsunlightriverpark.com. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ a b "Port Sunlight River Park – The Land Trust". The Land Trust. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ "Port Sunlight River Park – Facilities". portsunlightriverpark.com. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ "Who we are – The Land Trust". The Land Trust. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ The Scotland Guide: Glasgow: Sunlight Cottages. Retrieved 13 October 2014
- ^ RCAHMS Site Record, Sunlight Cottages
- ^ Rigby, Emma (29 April 2014). "Port Sunlight transported back in time for Peaky Blinders filming". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- ^ Ayoub, Chuck, The Beatles Timeline 1962, archived from the original on 28 January 2008, retrieved 28 January 2008
- ^ A Beatle Tour to Wirral, Magical Beatle Tours, archived from the original on 17 January 2008, retrieved 28 January 2008
- ^ Beatles, Radio Clatterbridge, archived from the original on 11 May 2008, retrieved 2 April 2008
- ^ Antiques Roadshow, retrieved 5 August 2015[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Wirral-born pop icon Pete Burns dies after cardiac arrest, aged 57".
Sources
- Beeson, Edward William (1911). Port Sunlight; the model village of England, a collection of photographs. The Architectural book publishing company.
- Macqueen, Adam (2011). The King of Sunlight: How William Lever Cleaned Up The World. Transworld. ISBN 978-1-4464-8845-4.