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Village Trust announces
purchase of Founder's home in Port Sunlight
Photos with thanks to Port Sunlight
Museum Collection.
THE Port Sunlight Village Trust, the
charity responsible for conserving and promoting the industrial garden village
of Port Sunlight, has announced that it has just completed on the purchase of
Bridge Cottage.
Bridge Cottage is 1 of the largest and most architecturally significant in Port
Sunlight. It is thought to have been built for the creator of the Lever Brothers
Empire William Hesketh Lever who lived there on occasion between 1893 and 1900
while his primary residence in Thornton Hough was being renovated.
Maggie Sparks Chair of Trustees, Port Sunlight Village Trust said:- "We
are thrilled to have secured the purchase of Bridge Cottage. Trustees have long
held an ambition to own the cottage and to share its rich history and heritage
with our visitors as part of the Port Sunlight Museum experience."
Bridge Cottage has been continuously occupied by someone of
important standing within the village and factory communities since 1900,
including the schoolmaster, gallery curator, an eminent Dutch scientist, and the
Lever Brothers company secretary. During the First World War it functioned as a
crèche for women working in the factory and in the 2nd World War it suffered
bomb damage after a land mine was dropped close by. More recently, the cottage
has been home to the ministers of Christ Church, until it was sold to Port
Sunlight Village Trust in July 2015.
Maggie continued:- "To turn it into a visitor experience will require
careful consideration and significant investment. It is a large 5 bedroomed,
Grade II Listed property, which has been altered, repaired and modernised over
the last 122 years by subsequent occupants and caretakers."
Paul Harris Chief Executive, Port Sunlight Village Trust said:- "In the
short term, we have decided to open the cottage to visitors as a pilot project
thanks to a small amount of grant funding from the Arts Council's Sustainable
Improvement Fund. We want village visitors and residents to help us decide how
best to use and interpret the cottage. We are also taking the opportunity to
test out some other ideas including artists' studios and an improved arts and
crafts retail offer in the village."
Paul added that:- "In the 1st Phase of the pilot project, Bridge Cottage
will open in August and September, taking in the main summer season and national
Heritage Open Days. Visitors will find out about the lives of the people who
lived in the cottage, the architects Douglas and Fordham, and building
conservation issues in Port Sunlight today, through guided tours, live
interpretation and an exhibition. They will also be able to watch village
artists demonstrating their craft and purchase some of their work."
Bridge Cottage will open on Saturday, 1 August 2015, from 1.00 to 4.00pm.
Entrance is free. For information about opening times and dates, contact Port
Sunlight Museum on:- 0151 644 6466 or visit:-
PortSunlightVillage.Com. |
