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
During the initial lockdown, six friends, who have known each other for 30 years plus, decided that rather than not see each other regularly, we would meet up virtually on a Friday night.
It was suggested we could take turns in selecting records to listen to in the week and then discuss them, reminisce and of course have a pint, and that's how the Goose and Growler started. Two of the regulars, myself and Craig, are both separate residents on Lower Road and one of the events we celebrated was Craig’s 50th birthday in October. It had to be done virtually due to the pandemic but we still managed to surprise him. We have regulars from Yorkshire, Liverpool, New Brighton and have had guests from places as diverse as Coventry and Dubai. It's a great way to catch up and has become almost normal now.
Whenever possible we try and support local businesses and have used The Railway, The Rose and Crown, Glen Affrick Brewery and The Bow Legged Beagle, amongst many others, to source our refreshments. There have been beermats, pint glasses, t-shirts and even Christmas cards produced as souvenirs of this strange time.