Port Sunlight

Introduction


Port Sunlight, an industrial village built in 1888 in a Liverpool suburb, came into existence from Lever’s project. It was not an isolated initiative. Confronted with the problems of poverty and ‘immorality’ of their work force, many factory owners constructed dwellings for their workers. Port Sunlight is one of the numerous testimonies of the attempts of individuals to cope with social issues. However, it raises the question of the share between humanism and paternalism. It also gives an insight of Victorian values.


Part I 19th century values in Port Sunlight


Firstly, Port sunlight is a construction glorifying 19th century values upheld by Lever. One of its aims is to praise him, not as a private individual but as a member of the enlightened elite. The constructions are characterized by monumental design, perceptible in the avenues, the Gallery or the fountain (fig 1, 2&3). The design also underlines the artistic preoccupations of the 19th century...