Port Sunlight – he would go on to design the Cenotaph in London years later.
The village reflects a number of different architectural styles, with the black- and-white half-timbered design being a common theme throughout. But nearly every period of British domestic architectural design of the time is paid homage to in the village, and even Dutch, French and Flemish styles were incorporated, with bricks brought in from as far as Belgium.
Striking little details are what make Port Sunlight cottages and buildings truly special. From the unusual ‘twisted’ chimneys, to leaded glazed patterns to ornamental plasterwork known as pargetting – visitors today can see for themselves the imprint of master craftsmen who laboured all those years ago to make Lever’s vision a reality.
By 1900, more than 400 homes are built in Port Sunlight village, with other facilities also built over the ensuing years, including a church, schools, a library and an open-air swimming pool, among others. Port Sunlight employees had to apply to live in the village. If selected, they were charged rent, which was deducted directly from their wages. Rents were reinvested in the maintenance of the village.
FIND OUT MORE
Much of the information here was gathered from the Port Sunlight Museum
portsunlightvillage.com and the Port Sunlight Village Trust’s walking tour – which runs every day. Booking ahead is essential, see
portsunlightvillage.com/tours/
37 unite buildingWORKER Spring 2026
From an employer’s perspective, Lever was far ahead of his time. He was one of the first employers to offer workers a pension in Britain. He was also one of the first major employers to have stringent health and safety procedures in place at both his factory and the village. The village, for example, had its own fire station.
While he did promote a form of tenant- led democracy at Port Sunlight village, he was also a quintessential paternalist, often imposing his own views. The village ‘pub’, called the Bridge Inn, was initially ‘dry’, reflecting Lever’s temperance. But two years after its opening, villagers petitioned for the inn to become fully licensed. Lever said he would agree if more than 75 per cent of eligible villagers voted in favour.
Controversially, he allowed women the vote. Some say he did so simply to make it more likely that the vote would be in favour of temperance. But Lever would go on to lose his vote, with 80 per cent in favour of an alcohol licence at the Inn.
Lever permitted unions, and remarkably, during his lifetime, there was only one strike at his factory. In essence, the
strike was a battle between two unions over negotiating powers, which Lever left for them to sort out among themselves.
Speaking to buildingWORKER, Catherine Downey, collections and heritage manager at Port Sunlight Village Trust, said that unfortunately, “we don’t have much information about what the day-to-day life of the building and construction workforce who built the village would have been like.”
“But”, she added, “we know that the builders and joiners employed by Lever Bros. were highly skilled, and their work included significant landmarks in the village such as Victoria Bridge and Christ Church. They also worked on areas outside the village, such as Bromborough Docks. We believe that some of the earlier homes in the village may have used local contractors employed by the architects, but later buildings were constructed by Lever Bros. staff.”
Despite the lack of detailed information on the workers who built Port Sunlight, their skills are evident by a walk through the village today.
LIKE THIS?
If you have an idea of an iconic building for this page send them in to buildingWORKER by emailing the Ed
amanda.campbell@
unitetheunion.org
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
