Modern plumbing was essentially a Victorian invention. Improved building methods and the availability of cheaper building materials coming from transport improvements assisted those who fought for better housing conditions for the urban poor. The Garden Suburb Movement, another development for the improvement of cities strove to provide better housing but for this to be provided in aesthetically pleasing styles in leafy, sylvan surroundings
Lever was born into this era of social inequality, self-interest and free enterprise balanced by philanthropists, social reformers and self-help moralists. William Lever was a product of this age, who, when he himself became an industrialist, set out to provide not only utopian quarters for his workforce, but also the moral tone for their lives. He would share his prosperity with his workers. He would harness the skill and invention of the era and the architectural creativity of the Garden Suburb Movement to create the village around his factory paid for and maintained by the company's profits. This in return would create the best of relationships between the company and its employees: they would work hard as it was in their own as well as his interests.
The first sod was cut by Mrs W.H.Lever on 3rd March, 1888, the ceremony signifying the commencement of the development of Port Sunlight on the site on the banks of the Mersey, purchased by Lever. Bounded by a tidal inlet which flowed to the river on one side and the main Birkenhead/London railway line on the other. It was far from being what is now termed, 'prime building material' - some of the land being marshy and crossed by ravines which would need to be filled in. This initial 56 acres cost Lever £200 an acre and he subsequently purchased another 165 acres, 130 of the entire holding were to provide the site for Port Sunlight Village.
Lever's dream of providing a healthy and pleasant environment for his workers began to materialise. At the end of 1889, not only was the factory complete, but 28 cottage dwelling designed by the same designer of the factory, William Owen of Warrington, were ready for occupation. This was followed by more cottages, larger houses, a shop and the first of the public buildings, Gladstone Hall during 1891 - 2. The style was described by a contemporary observer as 'Old English' and showed promise of demonstrating it was possible to erect a large number of industrial dwellings without their being "hideous in design and grieving in aspect." In the next eight years the number of cottages had risen to 278. Architectural styles became more varied and included Flemish and Dutch as well as two cottages which were actual reproductions of Shakespeare's cottage at Stratford-On-Avon. The streets were laid out in continental boulevard style, wide and lined with elm and chestnut trees. A school was provided for the workers' children who numbered 500 at that time. Lever's factory always used a high proportion of female labour and the village institute provided them with classes in such suitable subjects as cookery, dress-making and shorthand. The institute also had a reading room and canteen facilities. The male workers were provided with similar improvement facilities at Gladstone Hall.
Lever was involved in the development of the village at every level. The first plans were his own and he travelled extensively looking for new ideas, at home and on the continent. He considered that “the life of the people, in all town planning, must be the first consideration" and that this should be achieved without the sacrifice of what he called “beauty and inspiring vistas." By 1909, there were 700 houses, 700 of which were occupied by Lever's employees. There were two types of cottage - the kitchen type and the parlour type, the latter having a large living room and one bedroom more than the former. There were no cellars and every home had a bathroom. Taking this and the attention paid to design into consideration, these houses far exceeded the average for contemporary working-class house design. W.L George, who carried out a survey of the village experiment, although he had some criticism of it, concluded that " taking them all round, the cottages are the best possible for a working man." The rents varied from 5 shillings to 6s 3d per week for the kitchen cottages and 7s 6d to 10 shillings for the parlour houses, both including rates. The rents were reasonable, representing a quarter to a fifth of the average weekly wage. The minimum wage was guaranteed at 22 shillings per week, but most workers earned more.
''We must all agree that the press is the complement to social effort... It is devoutly to be wished therefore that we shall put forward our heads together and in the way we propose show that we form a factor in the world of progress.' So read the leader in the January 1896 edition of the Port Sunlight Monthly Journal, the organ of the Village Council set up in 1895 to oversee the various village institutions, clubs and societies which were springing up. The minutiae of social events were recorded with typical ebullience as an early article attributed to the British Women's Temperance Society (Port Sunlight Branch) testifies:- 'The weather was splendid, the tea provided excellent and the party returned in excellent spirits, having succeeded in extracting a more than average amount of fun and pleasure and all this without the presence of the male animal.' Following the journal's success, the first edition of Progress, a company-flavoured magazine was published in October 1899. As well as reporting local news and events it was to become William Lever's mouthpiece for presenting his ideas, such as co-partnership and much later, the six-hour day and direct bank credit arrangements for employees' wages.
The Architecture
The and are the work of more than 30 architects employed by William Lever. In less than one square mile, under his overall direction they managed to create a garden village with a sense of space and beauty hitherto only dreamed of. The vernacular idiom as interpreted by Nesfield and Shaw (they called it '') was employed throughout together with Victorian styles. Building materials used ranged from the Ruabon red brick to the softer materials typical of the Arts & Crafts movement in it's Edwardian phase. , (ornamental plasterwork), and leaded glazing are commonplace in architecture that integrates yet surprises.