A Guide to Port Sunlight Village : Including Two Tours of the Village

Port Sunlight was founded in 1888 by the industrialist Lord Leverhulme to house the workers from his prospering businesswhich would evolve into Unilever. Acclaimed for its planning and house design, Port Sunlight greatly influenced subsequent planned developments, as well as the garden city movement.This fully revised version of A Guide to Port Sunlight marries the practical details of a guidebook with historical information about Port Sunlights design and architecture, its place in the history of urban planning, and Leverhulmes role in the towns creation. A wealth of illustrations helps make this the perfect book for armchair and actual travelers to this jewel of nineteenth-century town planning. The model industrial village of Port Sunlight was founded by the soap manufacturer W. H. Lever (later Lord Leverhulme) in 1888 for the factory workers of his firm of Lever Brothers. The village was acclaimed from the first as exemplifying the best in English town planning and house design, and greatly influenced subsequent industrial villages such as Bournville, and the garden city movement more generally. This guide considers the village in its historical context, with particular emphasis on the planning and architectural aspects. It explains the social and visual significance of Port Sunlight and the reasons for its being unique in the history of town planning, as well as looking at the way its development was influenced by changing fashions in civic design. The relevance of Lever's own character and interests - his social conscience, his love of art and beauty and his architectural enthusiasms - is also examined. Two tours, one for pedestrians and one for car drivers, which include and describe the most significant buildings of the village, are an additional feature of the guide. "The model industrial village of Port Sunlight was founded by the soap manufacturer W.H. Lever (later Lord Leverhulme) in 1888 for the factory workers of his firm of Lever Brothers. The village was acclaimed from the first as exemplifying the best in English town planning and house design, and greatly influenced subsequent industrial villages such as Bournville, and the garden city movement more generally." "This guide considers the village in its historical context, with particular emphasis on the planning and architectural aspects. It explains the social and visual significance of Port Sunlight and the reasons for its being unique in the history of town planning, as well as looking at the way its development was influenced by changing fashions in civic design. The relevance of Lever's own character and interests - his social conscience, his love of art and beauty and his architectural enthusiasms - is also examined."--Jacket

Port Sunlight was founded in 1888 by the industrialist Lord Leverhulme to house the workers from his prospering business—which would evolve into Unilever. Acclaimed for its planning and house design, Port Sunlight greatly influenced subsequent planned developments, as well as the garden city movement.

This fully revised version of A Guide to Port Sunlight marries the practical details of a guidebook with historical information about Port Sunlight’s design and architecture, its place in the history of urban planning, and Leverhulme's role in the town’s creation. A wealth of illustrations helps make this the perfect book for armchair and actual travelers to this jewel of nineteenth-century town planning.

Title Page......Page 4 Contents......Page 6 Preface to the 2005 Edition......Page 7 Foreword......Page 8 1: The Founder......Page 10 2: Background......Page 14 3: Planning and Development......Page 18 4: Housing and Architectural Character......Page 42 5: Public Buildings......Page 52 6: Fame and Influence......Page 72 Walk: Heritage Centre to Lady Lever Art Gallery......Page 78 Drive: Lady Lever Art Gallery to Heritage Centre......Page 94 Appendix 1: Demolished Buildings......Page 104 Appendix 2: Notes on Architects......Page 108 Bibliography......Page 113 The third edition of a best-selling book on the Port Sunlight Village, with a new chapter on the Lady Lever Art Gallery, further information on key individuals and an increase in the number of illustrations.