What
Port Sunlight is a village on the Wirral that was founded in 1888 by philanthropist and entrepreneur William Hesketh Lever for the employees of his Sunlight Soap factory. The museum is part of the Port Sunlight Village Trust, an independent charitable trust established in 1999 by Unilever.
The village is a Designated Conservation area and the majority of buildings are Grade II-listed.
“Port Sunlight Museum celebrates the unique heritage of Port Sunlight – its people, architecture and landscapes,” says museum manager Katherine Lynch. The museum has a gallery, tea room, gift shop, collection and archive, research facility, and a learning and events space.
Opened
The museum opened in 2006 in the original village girls’ club building following a £1.1m capital project funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the trust. It was awarded full Accreditation in 2009-10.
Collection
“A lot of soap,” says Lynch. “We also have a small but growing collection and archive largely relating to the social history of the village including architectural drawings, photographs, oral history recordings, trophies from the various clubs and societies, domestic items, toys, letters and furniture.”
Help at hand
In addition to Lynch, there is a learning officer, an events coordinator, marketing manager, collections and exhibitions officer, a tea-room supervisor, and visitor services manager (all full-time). There are also some part-time staff, about 30 volunteers and 12 freelance guides who lead tours of the village.
Budget
£370,000 in 2012-13. Income comes from museum admissions (£3.75 adult), guided tours, research, school visits, events, shop and tea-room sales, grants and sponsorship.
Highlights
Lynch chooses the first tablet of Sunlight Soap off the production line in 1889: “It’s pretty manky now,” she admits. Her second choice is a silver statuette of a soldier donated to the village by the British Legion in acknowledgement of the many residents who served in the first world war.
Visitors
34,000 in 2012. Its summer festival, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ first gig with Ringo Starr, which took place in the village, attracted 15,000.
Sticky moment
“In 2009, our Hillsborough Memorial Garden was reinstated after it had been vandalised,” Lynch says. “Gerry Marsden, from the 1960s Merseyside band Gerry and the Pacemakers, came to switch on the lights, which he tried to after a big crowd had sung You’ll Never Walk Alone. But the lights failed and we had to keep singing – for some time – until the power was back up.”
Survival tip
“Be open and responsive to new ideas and potential partnerships,” Lynch says. “Constantly question what you do and why you do it.”
Future projects
“This year, we have been celebrating the 125th anniversary of the founding of the village with a £150,000 refurbishment of the museum and gift shop,” Lynch says.
Future plans centre on an expansion of the exhibition space and introducing two experiences – a worker’s cottage set in 1914, and one set in more recent history, which will explore issues such as the modernisation of the houses, the split between village and factory and the first homeowners in the village.
www.portsunlightvillage.com
Port Sunlight is a village on the Wirral that was founded in 1888 by philanthropist and entrepreneur William Hesketh Lever for the employees of his Sunlight Soap factory. The museum is part of the Port Sunlight Village Trust, an independent charitable trust established in 1999 by Unilever.
The village is a Designated Conservation area and the majority of buildings are Grade II-listed.
“Port Sunlight Museum celebrates the unique heritage of Port Sunlight – its people, architecture and landscapes,” says museum manager Katherine Lynch. The museum has a gallery, tea room, gift shop, collection and archive, research facility, and a learning and events space.
Opened
The museum opened in 2006 in the original village girls’ club building following a £1.1m capital project funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the trust. It was awarded full Accreditation in 2009-10.
Collection
“A lot of soap,” says Lynch. “We also have a small but growing collection and archive largely relating to the social history of the village including architectural drawings, photographs, oral history recordings, trophies from the various clubs and societies, domestic items, toys, letters and furniture.”
Help at hand
In addition to Lynch, there is a learning officer, an events coordinator, marketing manager, collections and exhibitions officer, a tea-room supervisor, and visitor services manager (all full-time). There are also some part-time staff, about 30 volunteers and 12 freelance guides who lead tours of the village.
Budget
£370,000 in 2012-13. Income comes from museum admissions (£3.75 adult), guided tours, research, school visits, events, shop and tea-room sales, grants and sponsorship.
Highlights
Lynch chooses the first tablet of Sunlight Soap off the production line in 1889: “It’s pretty manky now,” she admits. Her second choice is a silver statuette of a soldier donated to the village by the British Legion in acknowledgement of the many residents who served in the first world war.
Visitors
34,000 in 2012. Its summer festival, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ first gig with Ringo Starr, which took place in the village, attracted 15,000.
Sticky moment
“In 2009, our Hillsborough Memorial Garden was reinstated after it had been vandalised,” Lynch says. “Gerry Marsden, from the 1960s Merseyside band Gerry and the Pacemakers, came to switch on the lights, which he tried to after a big crowd had sung You’ll Never Walk Alone. But the lights failed and we had to keep singing – for some time – until the power was back up.”
Survival tip
“Be open and responsive to new ideas and potential partnerships,” Lynch says. “Constantly question what you do and why you do it.”
Future projects
“This year, we have been celebrating the 125th anniversary of the founding of the village with a £150,000 refurbishment of the museum and gift shop,” Lynch says.
Future plans centre on an expansion of the exhibition space and introducing two experiences – a worker’s cottage set in 1914, and one set in more recent history, which will explore issues such as the modernisation of the houses, the split between village and factory and the first homeowners in the village.
www.portsunlightvillage.com