A model village is a mostly self-contained community , built from the late 18th century onwards by landowners and business magnates to house their workers. " Model " implies an ideal to which other developments could aspire. Although the villages are located close to the workplace, they are generally physically separated from them and often consist of relatively high-quality housing , with integrated community amenities and attractive physical environments.
35-593: 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 listed buildings , and
70-631: A model village to house his employees. William Lever (who was created a baronet in December 1911, and was raised to the Peerage of the United Kingdom as the 1st Baron Leverhulme in June 1917, and was further advanced to being the 1st Viscount Leverhulme in December 1922) personally supervised planning the village, and employed nearly thirty different architects. Between 1899 and 1914, 800 houses were built to house
105-532: A by-product of the LeBlanc process used at the James Muspratt alkali works at Flint . The Dee estuary also supported industries concerned with the synthesis of PCBs and some pharmaceuticals and was also home to several industrial waste oil-reclamation industries. As a consequence of its industrial heritage, there are extensive areas of contaminated ground along the shores of the estuary. The estuary also plays
140-454: A five-mile (8 km) 'canalised' section and the river soon swells to be several miles wide forming the boundary between the Wirral Peninsula in north-west England and Flintshire in north-east Wales . The Dee Estuary's largest towns along it include Holywell , Flint , Connah's Quay , Shotton , Queensferry , Saltney Ferry , Heswall , West Kirby and Neston as well as other villages and towns alongside it. The A548 also passes along
175-494: A member of The Beatles on 18 August 1962. 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. 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) set in
210-606: A model village at Saltaire . Henry Ripley , owner of Bowling Dyeworks, began construction of Ripley Ville in Bradford in 1866. Industrial communities were established at Price's Village by Price's Patent Candle Company and at Aintree by Hartley's , who made jam, in 1888. William Lever 's Port Sunlight had a village green and its houses espoused an idealised rural vernacular style. Quaker industrialists, George Cadbury and Rowntrees built model villages by their factories. Cadbury built Bournville between 1898 and 1905 and
245-555: A new site on which to expand its soap-making business, which was at that time based in Warrington . The company bought 56 acres (23 ha) of flat unused marshy land in Cheshire , south of the River Mersey . It was large enough to allow space for expansion, and had a prime location between the river and a railway line. The site became Port Sunlight, where William Lever built his works and
280-499: A paternalistic colliery owner provided houses near his coal pits in Elsecar near Barnsley that were "...of a class superior in size and arrangement, and in conveniences attached, to those of working classes." They had four rooms and a pantry, and outside a small garden and pig sty. Others were established by Edward Akroyd at Copley between 1849 and 1853 and Akroydon 1861-63. Akroyd employed George Gilbert Scott . Titus Salt built
315-638: A population of 3,500. The garden village had allotments and public buildings including the Lady Lever Art Gallery , a cottage hospital, schools, a concert hall, open air swimming pool, church, and a temperance hotel. Lever introduced welfare schemes, and provided for the education and entertainment of his workforce, encouraging recreation and organisations which promoted art, literature, science or music. 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
350-405: A second phase from 1914 and New Earswick was built in 1902 for Rowntrees. As coal mining expanded villages were built to house coal miners. In Yorkshire, Grimethorpe , Goldthorpe , Woodlands , Fitzwilliam and Bottom Boat were built to house workers at the collieries. The architect who designed Woodlands and Creswell Model Villages , Percy B. Houfton was influential in the development of
385-477: 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
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#1732851953938420-726: Is also thought that prior to the ice ages , the estuary received larger river flows as the upper Severn flowed into the Dee near Chirk . For a period, the Mersey may also have flowed into the Dee by means of a channel which it cut through the base of the Wirral Peninsula. The estuary is a major wildlife area and one of the most important estuaries in Britain, amongst the most important in Europe for its populations of waders and wildfowl. The Environment Agency
455-442: Is an open, natural space that has been created on the former landfill site at Bromborough Dock. 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'. Walkways allow the public to appreciate the wildflowers and other wildlife; there is also a wetland area. The area is served by both Bebington and Port Sunlight railway stations, on
490-505: 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. One of the great buildings in Port Sunlight
525-584: 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 Lyceum , the Gladstone Theatre (which hosts local amateur dramatic productions), Hesketh Hall (which housed
560-523: Is the Conservation Authority, and the estuary is protected or listed under several schemes: Large parts of the area are within the RSPB 's Dee Estuary Nature Reserve. The estuary supports some important natural fisheries, including salmon and trout on their way to and from the freshwater river, as well as sea-fisheries and shell-fisheries, especially cockles . From earliest times, the Dee estuary
595-525: The Industrial Revolution , and some industry remains today. Notable among these are Shotton Steel , formerly owned by John Summers & Sons , and now owned by Tata Steel ; the gas-fired power station at Connah's Quay ; three separate paper mills ; a chemical manufacturing plant; and numerous smaller manufacturing industries. The estuary also receives the treated sewage effluent from Queensferry works and from Chester sewage treatment works. At
630-662: The Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network. There are regular train services to Chester , Ellesmere Port and to Liverpool via Birkenhead . Port Sunlight was widely celebrated. In 1912, it became the subject of a hit West End musical comedy, The Sunshine Girl , at the Gaiety Theatre, London . It starred Phyllis Dare , one of the most popular pin-ups of the Edwardian era, and was written by Paul Alfred Rubens . The show introduced
665-527: The garden city movement . In the 1920s, Silver End model village in Essex was built for Francis Henry Crittall . Its houses were designed in an art deco-style with flat roofs and Crittall windows . (Chronological order) Dee Estuary The Dee Estuary ( Welsh : Aber Dyfrdwy ) is a large estuary by means of which the River Dee flows into Liverpool Bay . The estuary starts near Shotton after
700-619: The tango dance to British audiences. In 1919, Lever Brothers made a 40-minute-long sponsored film , Port Sunlight , to promote the town and factory. 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 ,
735-517: The New Cut in 1737, to improve access to Chester, diverted the river's course to the Welsh side of the estuary, but failed to stem the silting up of the river, and Chester's trading function declined as that of Liverpool on the River Mersey grew. However, Chester was still a major port of passenger embarkation for Ireland until the early 19th century. The Dee Estuary was industrialised from quite early on in
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#1732851953938770-650: The architectural and landscape values of the garden suburb , influenced by the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement . Each block of houses was designed by a different architect. The backs of any of the houses cannot be seen, and each house is unique. In terms of architectural features, there is half-timbering, carved woodwork and masonry, pargetting (ornamental plaster work) moulded and twisted chimneys and leaded glazed patterns. Some houses were built in Flemish style, with bricks imported from Belgium . Port Sunlight
805-486: The cottages of the poor were demolished and rebuilt out of sight of their country house vistas. However, according to the Oxford English Dictionary (2024), the first use of the term model village is post-Victorian, dating to 1906. Starting in the 18th century, new villages were created at Nuneham Courtenay when the village was rebuilt as plain brick dwellings either side of the main road, at Milton Abbas
840-600: The estuary in Wales and parts of Cheshire West and Chester and Merseyside in England. The North Wales Coast Line follows the course of the Dee Estuary between Prestatyn and Chester . The estuary is unusual in that comparatively little water occupies so large a basin. One theory is that larger rivers such as the Severn and/or Mersey once flowed into the Dee. The current view is that
875-414: The estuary owes its origin to the passage of glacial ice southeastwards from the Irish Sea during successive ice ages , eroding a broad and shallow iceway through the relatively soft Triassic sandstones and Coal Measures mudstones underlying the area. The inner parts of this channel were filled by glacially derived sands and gravels long ago, and infilling by mud and silt has continued since. It
910-668: 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." The historical significance of Port Sunlight lies in its combination of model industrial housing, providing materially decent conditions for working people, with
945-555: 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. Port Sunlight was also used as a filming location for the British television series Peaky Blinders numerous times. Hulme Hall was the venue for drummer Ringo Starr 's official debut as
980-576: 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 , opened to the public in 2014. The park is opposite Otterspool promenade and offers a view of Liverpool's waterfront, including the Anglican Cathedral and the Royal Albert Dock . It
1015-576: The local branch of the Royal British Legion until 2013, when it was converted into 13 flats) and the "Bridge Inn" public house . 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
1050-553: The mouth of the estuary is the natural gas sweetening plant at Point of Ayr on the site of the former colliery . There are also commercial docks at Mostyn although their use is limited by the tide. Signs of past industry are visible along the whole length of the estuary especially on the Welsh side. Large stretches of what now appear as flood embankments are long abandoned industrial waste heaps, some still containing highly reactive and caustic materials, including large heaps of Galligu,
1085-424: The tenants charging low rents but paying low wages. As the Industrial Revolution took hold, industrialists who built factories in rural locations provided housing for workers clustered around the workplace. An early example of an industrial model village was New Lanark built by Robert Owen . Philanthropic coal owners provided decent accommodation for miners from the early nineteenth century. Earl Fitzwilliam ,
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1120-525: The village was moved and rebuilt in a rustic style and Blaise Hamlet in Bristol had individually designed buildings, some with thatched roofs. The Swing Riots of 1830 highlighted poor housing in the countryside, ill health and immorality and landowners had a responsibility to provide cottages with basic sanitation. The best landlords provided accommodation but many adopted a paternalistic attitude when they built model dwellings and imposed their own standards on
1155-513: The village, she stood in front of her childhood home and explained that her father was a managing director of a division of Unilever. Model village According to Jeremy Burchardt, the term model village was first used by the Victorians to describe the new settlements created on the rural estates of the landed gentry in the eighteenth century. As landowners sought to improve their estates for aesthetic reasons, new landscapes were created and
1190-490: Was a major trading and military route, to and from Chester . From about the 14th century, Chester provided facilities for trade with Ireland, Spain, and Germany, and seagoing vessels would "lay to" in the Dee awaiting favourable winds and tides. As the Dee started to silt up, harbouring facilities developed on the Wirral bank at Shotwick , Burton , Neston , Parkgate , Dawpool , and "Hoyle Lake" or Hoylake . The excavation of
1225-407: Was declared a conservation area in 1978. Port Sunlight has been informally suggested for World Heritage Site (WHS) status to protect it from development and to preserve the unique character for future generations ; however, it is not yet on the current UK "tentative list" for future consideration as a WHS. In the 2001 Census , its population was 1,450. In 1887, Lever Brothers began looking for
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