Pictures of Port Sunlight

in the county of Merseyside

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About Port Sunlight

You could almost say that this was the village built by soap, for it was founded on the fortunes and beliefs of one man - that was William Hesketh Lever, who was born in Bolton in 1851, and who fifteen years later began his career in his father's grocery business. One of his early jobs was to cut and wrap soap, later he became a travelling salesman for the firm and by 1872 he became a partner earning £800 a year.

Following his marriage to his childhood sweetheart in 1874, William got the idea of branding and packaging soap, the first name he registered was "Sunlight" thus began the start of the famous Lever Brothers empire which started in a factory in Warrington, leased by William and his brother James.

Ever a man of foresight and strong beliefs, William held fast to the belief that a happy, healthy workforce would be a willing one. He saw for himself the squalor wrought by the Industrial Revolution and resolved to build for a new factory and to create a pleasant village in which to house his workers. This was hitherto unheard of in harsh Victorian times, but Port Sunlight was to become the fore-runner for other similar factory villages, such as the famous Cadbury village of Bourneville in the Midlands.

The garden village William created occupied less than one square mile, but it gave his workers a sense of pride to return to decent housing set in attractive tree lined roads. Housing styles differed, there was much use of bright red brick, even pargetting and black and white half timbering. Public buildings where added later, these included a community hall, a village shop and a post office built in 1891. Later, the village expanded, other properties were built along with shops and further amenities for the workers, some where sadly destroyed during the Second World War, never to be replaced. None-the-less, today it is still worth the trip south of Birkenhead to visit Port Sunlight. The centre-piece of the village is the Lady Lever Art Gallery and Museum, this was built as a memorial to Lady Lever and was opened in 1922.

Planning a visit? Please see below for other recommended towns, attractions and recommended hotels nearby.

Distances and directions below are approximate. For true driving distances please visit the AA Route Planner

Recommended attractions near Port Sunlight

Lady Lever Art Gallery	(0.8 miles, 1.3 km)	Pictures
Eastham Woods Country Park	(2.0 miles, 3.1 km, direction S)	Pictures
Sefton Park Palm House	(2.6 miles, 4.2 km, direction NE)	Pictures
Liverpool Cathedral	(3.3 miles, 5.3 km, direction N)	Pictures
Albert Dock	(3.3 miles, 5.4 km, direction N)	Pictures
The Beatles Story Exhibition	(3.4 miles, 5.4 km, direction N)	Pictures
Albion House	(3.7 miles, 5.9 km, direction N)	Pictures
The Cavern Club	(3.8 miles, 6.0 km, direction N)	Pictures
Speke Hall	(4.5 miles, 7.2 km, direction E)	Pictures
Rivacre Valley Country Park	(4.6 miles, 7.4 km, direction SE)	Pictures
Mendips	(4.6 miles, 7.5 km, direction E)	Pictures
20 Forthlin Road	(5.0 miles, 8.1 km, direction E)	Pictures
Ellesmere Port Boat Museum	(5.7 miles, 9.1 km, direction SE)	Pictures
The Wirral Country Park	(6.4 miles, 10.4 km, direction W)	Pictures
New Palace & Adventureland, New Brighton	(6.8 miles, 11.0 km, direction NW)	Pictures

All attractions in Port Sunlight
All attractions in Merseyside
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Recommended towns near Port Sunlight

Wirral Peninsula, in the county of Merseyside (3.2 miles, 5.1 km, direction SW)
The Wirral Peninsula is an area of Merseyside approximately 60 square miles (160 square Km) known as 'The Wirral'
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Liverpool, a Historic City in the county of Merseyside (4.1 miles, 6.6 km, direction N)
From early humble origins Liverpool, over the centuries has grown and developed to become one of the most exciting cities to...
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Heswall, in the county of Merseyside (5.2 miles, 8.4 km, direction W)
Heswall, although situated on the banks of the River Dee remains very much part of Merseyside. It is fortunate to occupy a spacious area fringed by green wooded countryside, and is close to sands commencing at near-by Thurstaston.
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New Brighton, in the county of Merseyside (6.3 miles, 10.2 km, direction NW)
New Brighton in the Wiirral may not be quite what the traditional Brighton of the South of England is, with its extravaganza of a Royal Pavilion, but what it does have is well worth sampling.
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West Kirby, in the county of Merseyside (8.7 miles, 14.0 km, direction W)
The town lies between Heswall and Hoylake, it has a nice sandy beach, a beautiful marine lake and some lovely preserved Victorian properties.
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Aintree, in the county of Merseyside (9.0 miles, 14.4 km, direction N)
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Crosby, in the county of Merseyside (9.8 miles, 15.7 km, direction N)
Modern day Crosby straddles the Irish Sea, it is a mainly residential area with a coastline of sands - including the Blundell Sands, thus named for the Blundell family.
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Widnes, in the county of Cheshire (10.2 miles, 16.4 km, direction E)
There is much that is Victorian about Widnes, this can be seen in the splendid public library building and the park named after a great Queen and Empress.
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Helsby, in the county of Cheshire (10.3 miles, 16.6 km, direction SE)
Helsby is famous for Helsby Hill which rises to a height of 462ft, and has traces of an Iron-Age camp.
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Chester, a Historic City in the county of Cheshire (11.6 miles, 18.6 km, direction S)
Chester, the county town of Cheshire, is one of the oldest and most complete walled cities with fantastic architecture and history.
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Lydiate, in the county of Merseyside (12.3 miles, 19.8 km, direction N)
This attractive village was mentioned in the Doomsday Book. It is perhaps best known for the evocative ruins of St. Catherine's Church.
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St Helens, in the county of Merseyside (12.3 miles, 19.9 km, direction NE)
Having transcended the Industrial Revolution and shaken off its old image, St.Helens is rapidly developing into a place of culture and style.
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Rainford, in the county of Merseyside (13.0 miles, 21.0 km, direction NE)
Rainford is a small village attractively set in open countryside between St. Helen's and Wigan.
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Warrington, in the county of Cheshire (16.0 miles, 25.7 km, direction E)
This town can claim to have something made for Queen Victoria, which was famously rejected by her - this is the pair of Golden Gates made in 1850 for Sandringham House.
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Delamere, in the county of Cheshire (16.3 miles, 26.2 km, direction SE)
The village of Delamere can be found in the midst of beautiful Cheshire countryside in an area of forests and rivers. It is...
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All towns in Merseyside
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Nearby travel help

Port Sunlight Station	(0.7 miles, 1.1 km)
Spital Station	(0.8 miles, 1.3 km)
M53 Junction 4	(1.9 miles, 3.0 km, direction W)
M53 Junction 5	(3.4 miles, 5.5 km, direction S)
Liverpool John Lennon Airport	(5.4 miles, 8.6 km, direction E)
Blackpool Airport	(29.3 miles, 47.2 km, direction N)
Port Sunlight to London	(175.4 miles, 282.3 km, direction SE)

Hotels & Accommodation in Port Sunlight

Hotel Name	Approximate distance from Port Sunlight center
Village Leisure Hotel Wirral	(0.4 miles, 0.6 km)
Best Western The Alicia	(2.6 miles, 4.1 km, direction NE)
The Dolby Hotel	(2.9 miles, 4.7 km, direction N)
Campanile Liverpool - Queens Dock	(3.0 miles, 4.8 km, direction N)
Liverpool City Centre Apartments	(3.3 miles, 5.2 km, direction N)
Express By Holiday Inn Albert Dock Liverpool	(3.3 miles, 5.3 km, direction N)
The Riverhill Hotel	(3.5 miles, 5.6 km, direction NW)
Hope Street Hotel	(3.5 miles, 5.6 km, direction N)
Hanover Hotel	(3.6 miles, 5.7 km, direction N)
Aachen Hotel	(3.6 miles, 5.8 km, direction N)
All hotels in Port Sunlight