Pre-Raphaelites, Worker's Cottages and Soap in Port Sunlight

In Brief.

Port Sunlight is a model village, built from 1888, to house the workers at Lever Brothers soap factory, now part of the multinational Unilever. The village includes small blocks of worker's cottages in a variety of architectural styles, alongside a range of open spaces, a museum and the Lady Lever Art Gallery, adjacent to a substantial soap factory. Walking tours provide an interesting overview of the history of the site, there is an informative museum and the art gallery exceeded my expectations.

The Lady Lever Art Gallery from the slightly out-of-season rose garden.

What's Here?

My visit started with a successful tea and cake in the Art Gallery's basement cafe, and continued with a wander sround the gallery. The gallery has a grand main hall, lit from above, and a collection of themed rooms. The themed rooms include Wedgwood and Chinese ceramics, tapestries and a series of rooms that combine art, decor and furniture to reflect a period or style. There is also a large collection of mostly 19th century paintings, with an especially strong representation of Pre-Raphaelites, all well displayed and accompanied with informative descriptions in the gallery's airy spaces. 

Art Gallery Main Hall

While the gallery indicates what can be done with the wealth derived from a successful business, the rest of the site reflects the living environment of the workers. This is likely best understood by joining a 90 minute walking tour (check when these start), which explores the site and provides the history of the business and the motivation for developing the garden suburb. The village provided families working in the factory with houses and additional facilities such as allotments, a church, sports facilities and a pub, in an environment with lots of green space.

Some of the workers' houses.

The substantial Unilever factory adjacent to the village still develops and manufactures cleaning products, and there are further opportunities to hear about the business and the development of the village in the pleasant museum and slightly more mixed SoapWorks. Next door to the museum is a worker's cottage preserved in Edwardian style, that provides a glimpse into the inside of the houses that are so varied on the outside.

Practicalities.

Distance from Manchester Town Hall: 45 miles

Drive Time: 1 hour 5 mins

Price: $$ (tour plus museum). Art gallery asks for donations.

Parking: There is plenty free on street parking.

Food and Drink: There is a thriving cafe in the art gallery; I had a nice Bakewell slice in the morning and satisfactory fish and chips for lunch.

Retail Therapy: The museum and art gallery have small souvenir shops; books about art and objects d'art.

Child Friendly: This is not a child-centred destination, but there are activity spaces in the art gallery, and the SoapWorks is aimed at a younger demographic.

Toilets: Yes - in the museums.

Do it justice in: The walking tour is 90 minutes; the gallery is certainly worthy of an hour, and the museum a bit less.

Inside-Outside: 60:40



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