A picturesque town with more than 900 Grade II listed houses and public buildings, Port Sunlight was founded in 1888 by the industrialist William Lever as a self-contained community for his soap factory workers.
The village today is an immaculately preserved example of early town planning. A prototypical garden city, Port Sunlight’s manicured gardens and parklands offer abundant green space for the village’s residents and visitors, while cultural institutions like the Lady Lever Art Gallery and The Gladstone Theatre provide access to the arts.
With just 2,000 residents, Port Sunlight is home to a small but thriving community
It was spring and we’d just been blessed with an early heatwave. Dressed for summer, I left the house for my first hour-a-day walk around my neighbourhood, Port Sunlight Village.
As I tried to process the news, I quickly became distracted by the calmness in the village. It was vacant. There was not a car or person in sight, and it all felt somewhat surreal. The sound of the birds seemed louder than before and the cherry blossom appeared more vibrant. I quickly realised how lucky I felt to be spending the future months in such beautiful surroundings and to establish a new creative project.