Port Sunlight Museum & Garden Village

Port Sunlight Museum celebrates the unique heritage of the beautiful and historic industrial village of Port Sunlight - people, formal planning, architecture, and parks & gardens - from its foundation in 1888 for William Hesketh Lever's soap workers, to life in the village today.

Port Sunlight is an important tourist destination in the North West with 900 Grade II Listed buildings and declared a conservation area in 1978 and one of Cheshire's Gardens of Distinction. It is the finest surviving example of early urban planning the UK.

The late 19th century village was built by William Hesketh Lever to house his soap factory workers at Lever Brothers, which eventually turned into the global giant Unilever. Lever was a philanthropist with a passion for art and architecture and Port Sunlight is an enduring testament to the achievements of this remarkable man. The sheer scale of his philanthropy was unprecedented and the whole of Port Sunlight is now a conservation area and a major visitor attraction.

The village is set in 130 acres of what can only be described as beautifully-maintained parkland with a mature treescape. Lever employed over 30 different architects in the building of the village and the result is an intoxicating mix of architectural styles enhanced by the parkland setting, giving tranquil scenes of great beauty.

Add to this some excellent public sculpture, one of the finest and largest war memorials in the UK and you have a truly amazing visit to look forward to.

There is ample parking provisions within the village. It is a place to explore and although everywhere is easily accessible by car, a walk through the village cannot be matched. There would be plenty to do and see along the way. The village facilities include Port Sunlight Museum on King George's Drive, the Lady Lever Art Gallery, a boutique hotel with fine dining available to non residents, high quality self catering holiday cottages, a garden centre, a village pub and plenty of tearooms. You can even book a guided walking tour of the village, in season, through Port Sunlight Museum. At key times of the year there are family activities, festivals and other special events.

To enjoy the best of Port Sunlight, we suggest you start your visit by calling at Port Sunlight Museum where you can pick up a self-guided village trail or an audio Multi-Media tour and discover some of the fascinating history of this special part of the our national heritage and obtain more information on the other facilities that this village can offer.

'tea' at Port Sunlight offers a wide selection of freshly made sandwiches, quiches, soups and baked potatoes, with a choice of fillings, the tea room also has a wide selection of tasty treats such as tea cakes, muffins and delicious award-winning cakes and scones.

Dogs are allowed outside in Port Sunlight and we have plenty of green spaces for them to explore. In order to keep Port Sunlight clean and tidy, we ask that owners are responsible for cleaning up after their pets.