I am so lucky to live so close to such a wonderful art gallery in Port Sunlight & we have such strong Bolton family links .
William Hesketh Lever 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851 – 1925)
Lever was an entrepreneur, multimillionaire business man … well known for his philanthropic work and liberal ideas. He was born in Bolton and was the son of a wholesale grocer and one of 10 children. He joined his father’s business as an apprentice at the age of 15 & was made a partner at the age of 21. He was a significant influence in expanding & developing the business over the next 10 years.
In 1884 he focused on a new idea to sell pre-packed household soap under the brand name of ‘Sunlight’. In 1884with his brother James Darcy Lever, William established the business of Lever Brothers & started manufacturing Sunlight soap in Warrington. He needed more space to meet increasing demand, so in 1888 the brother’s began construction of a new factory at Port Sunlight. To be near his new factory, William rented Thornton Manor & came to live there with his wife Elizabeth and newborn son.
In politics he was briefly Liberal MP for Wirral and later was in the House of Lords as a peer.
Port Sunlight Village
Over the next 30 years William took a progressive approach to his growing business and in 1888 built a model village in Port Sunlight for the benefit of his workforce. He offered decent living conditions in the belief that good housing would ensure a healthy & happy workforce.
He used many different architects to create an assortment of public buildings including : 900 houses, Christ Church, two schools, a hospital, the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Hulme Hall, Gladstone Hall, a gymnasium, a heated outdoor swimming pool, various clubs and several bowling greens which are still used today.
- Within x4 years it proved so successful that he built a large factory on the Wirral.
- Port Sunlight village was built to provide his workforce with good housing
- He built the Art Gallery to give everyone the chance to see it & be inspired by it
- The Art Gallery was founded in 1922 and is dedicated to the memory of his wife Elizabeth
- The Gallery contains the best of his personal art collection
Lady Elizabeth Lever
William Hesketh Lever and Elizabeth Ellen Hulme met as children who lived on the same street in Bolton.
- in 1888 she cut the first sod for the new soap works at Port Sunlight
- she gave birth to son William Lever who later became 2nd Viscount Leverhulme
- she had x6 additional children, none of whom survived
Elizabeth regularly opened churches & bazaars, laid foundation stones, gave out Sunday school prizes and once even launched a ship. She travelled the world with her husband & was one of the first women to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Geological society in 1913. Her diaries reveal a quiet woman & private letters show their deep affection for each other.
William paid a special tribute to her in 1917 when he was made a peer. He created the name Leverhulme by adding Elizabeth’s maiden name of Hulme to his name = his title was Baron Leverhulme of Bolton – Le – Moors.
Elizabeth died suddenly on 24th July 1913. At her memorial sermon at her funeral in Reverend L.H.Mills spoke these words : ‘Lady Lever meant so much to us in practical and unceasing interest in our happiness and welfare, and as an example of beautiful and such high -toned character’
Private Palaces
Lever was a very rich man who owned several grand houses and estates around the country including :
- Thornton Manor, Wirral
- The Bungalow at Rivinton, near Bolton
- The Hill, Hampstead, London
- Lews Castle, Isle of Lewis, Scotland
He loved working with architects, designers & craftsmen and built, rebuilt or altered all his homes. Lever’s homes reflected his wealth & status in society. He entertained many people including business colleagues, his workers & the rich and famous. He bought Thornton Manor in 1893 & he always considered Thornton Hough village to be his home and most of his family came to live there in time.
By 1913 his art collection had grown so much that his houses were completely full.
Thornton Manor
The
T
The Bungalow Rivington
Lever & Bolton Connections
Lever was a major benefactor in Bolton his native town . He bought Hall i’ th’ Wood, onetime home of Samuel Crompton and restored it as a museum for the town. He was responsible for the formation of Bolton School and he donated land in 1914 for Bolton’s largest park = Leverhulme Park.
Art & Advertising
- Lever started collecting art to promote Sunlight Soap
- He was one of the pioneers of modern advertising
- He went to London art exhibitions & bought beautiful pictures which he knew would appeal to the housewives who were his customers
- Lever had the pictures copied, adding the Sunlight brand name & slogan
At first Lever collected art for his business reasons but as he grew richer and more confident he bought for his own pleasure. Between 1886 & 1906 he spent over £2 million on advertising. Lever encouraged his customers to collect prints reproduced from his collection … soap wrappers contained vouchers to be collected & exchanged for prints = a very modern idea still popular today.
Creation of the Lady Lever Art Gallery
Lever wanted to share his collections with the public but he needed a big building for his displays. The idea came from America where business tycoons built galleries for their own art collections and he chose the classical style based on recent American galleries.
- The building design started in 1913 working closely with William & Segar Owen of Warrington
- Lever personally selected works of art from his huge collection
- He bought new works for public display to cater for all tastes
- The Gallery was opened in 1922 by Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria
A Great Art Collection
Art was one of Lever’s passions and he used his vast wealth to put together an outstanding collection. The new Gallery building contained the cream of his collection = ‘ the finest works of artists that I have had the opportunity to acquire ‘
He believed in the power of art to improve and enrich the lives of individuals and communities ‘ Art and the beautiful civilise and elevate because they enlighten and enable’.
He spoke these words at the opening of the Lady Lever Art Gallery 16th December 1922 :
‘ Art has always been a stimulating influence ; it has always taught me without upbraiding me ; elevated me without humbling me ; and appealed to me because of the fact that only the best and truest in art survives … Art can be to everyone an inspiration. It is within all of us ‘.
- In his lifetime he collected over 20,000 works of art
- The diverse collection includes paintings, sculpture, furniture, ceramics, textiles & ethnology
- Lever mostly collected British art
- He was also fascinated by Chinese porcelain, Roman sculpture & Greek vases
- He employed many art dealers to find suitable works
- The art gallery has the best collection of Wedgewood jasperware in the world
- Has one of the best collections of 18th – century furniture in the country
- Its Pre – Raphaelite paintings are world famous
After his death in 1925, the works of art remaining in his various houses were sold at £ auction … the sale lasted 47 days.
The Main Hall
The Main Hall is the most impressive room in the gallery and contains Levers collection of paintings. Around the room is British 18th – century furniture mainly collected from grand country houses. Originally The Main Hall had black walls with picture lights illuminating the art work which would have looked incredibly dramatic. When Lever died in 1925 his body lay in state under The Daphnephoria … a fitting end to a man who had dedicated much of his life to art.
FREDERIC LEIGHTON (1830 – 1896 ) The Daphnephoria
JOHN SINGER SARGENT ( 1856 – 1925 ) On His Holidays, Norway
JOHN EVERETT MILLAIS ( 1829 – 1896 ) Lingering Autumn
WILLIAM HOLMAN HUNT (1827 – 1910 ) The Sacapegoat
JOHN EVERETT MILLAIS ( 1829 – 1896 ) Little Speedwell’s Darling Blue
Lever and the Pre-Raphaelites
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was started in 1848 by a group of young artists who were dissatisfied with the art establishment in Victorian England. They wanted to revolutionise British art by using bright colour and symbols. They believed in and followed the principle of ‘ Truth to Nature ‘ and carefully drew & painted the world around them. The world famous collection of pictures includes works by Rossetti, HolmanHunt, Millais & Ford Madox Brown … also pictures by Edward Burne-Jones and Arthur Hughes.
FREDERIC LEIGHTON ( 1830 – 1896 ) The Garden of the Hesperides
JOHN EVERETT MILLAIS (1829 – 1896 ) Spring ( Apple Blossoms )
Embroidery Collection
The embroidery collection includes various types of embroidery and pictures that tell a story either on the wall or to decorate a casket-top using mirror glass, silk work, silk & raised work and canvas work. He felt that embroidery was ‘ Art of the home, not of the palace. ‘
- Lever was one of the first collectors of embroideries
- he was impressed by the skill of the embroiderers = mostly girls aged 10-15 years
- he bought embroideries to furnish his own home
- also to hang in his first museum = Hall i’th’Wood Folk Museum near Bolton
Wedgewood Pottery
In the late 18th century everything in the house could be made in or decorated with the neo-classical style and Josiah Wedgewood’s jasperware was ideal for this style. He kept his best & newest pieces for royalty and the aristocracy.
- Neo-classicism is a style of decoration inspired by the art of ancient Greece & Rome
- ancient in style but modern in use
- vases / wall mounted frieze / marble fireplaces / candlesticks / inkwells / bulb pots / cups & saucers
Chinese Collection
Lever was an enthusiastic collector of Chinese Porcelain and other works of art. He collected them for their beauty & & craftsmanship … today we value them for what they tell us about the lifestyles and beliefs of Chinese people in the past. He started his collection in the 1890’s and he especially admired blue & white wares and pots with colourful enamel glazes. A collection of vases ( known as garnitures ) were shown together on mantelpieces and furniture as a sign of wealth & good taste.
Chinese Snuff Bottles
Lever’s collection of snuff bottles is one of the best in the country. He collected 166 snuff bottles mostly from C.S Holberton’s collection. Snuff is powdered tobacco blended with herbs and spices. The habit of snuff-taking spread to China from the West during the 17th & 18th century.
The bottles were brilliantly designed and carved from a wide range of materials including glass, porcelain, hardstones, ivory, coral, lacquer & amber. The intricacy of the carving & the imaginative designs are quite amazing.
Watercolours & Drawings
- Lever started collecting watercolours and drawings in the 1890’s
- By the time of his death he had bought about a thousand
- He focused mainly on British landscapes
His enthusiasm may have been influenced by the fact that he was an amateur watercolourist himself. The best watercolours are early 19th – century and include masterworks by Turner, Cox and Peter de Wint.
18th Century Style
Lever greatly admired 18th century painting and furniture
- it represents a golden age of British art & design
- some of the pictures & furniture were in Lever’s homes
- a group of women portraits
- their social status were dependent on the men in their lives
Lever & Sculpture
Lever was an important collector of sculpture. Some of his collection were portraits while others were more adventurous like Salammbo. He bought portrait busts of famous people who worked in politics & the arts and also commissioned scupltures of his family.
He bought more modern works called ‘ New Sculpture ‘ which had more abstract & poetic subjects. The sculptors Edward Onslow Ford & William Goscombe John were friends of Lever who advised him on collecting sculpture. They both made ‘ New Sculpture ‘ & experimented with materials and developed new techniques.
Acknowledgements
Lady Lever Art Gallery was created with support from :
- The National Lottery Heritage Lottery Fund
- Lord Leverhulme’s Charitable Trust
Photographs, advertisements & film footage by kind permission of :
- English Heritage
- Mary Evans Picture Library / Illustrated London News
- North West Film Archive
- The Leverhulme Archive
- Unilever Archives
Me My Family & Friends
Bolton
Our Dad was a grocer as was his father our Grandpa Bromley. We lived above our corner shop which was very close to Bolton Independent School where my brothers Martin & Chris went to school, as did our Mum and my niece Claire. As a teenager I represented my Canon Slade Grammar School every year in the Bolton area Inter School Athletics Championships which was held at Leverhulme Park.
Wirral
I moved to Wirral in 1980 for my first teaching job not knowing what a beautiful and unique peninsula it was nor that when I bought my house in 1987 I was only a 10 minute drive from Port Sunlight.
Rivington
Rivington was our favourite place for family walks whether in the lower village area or up on the moors to Rivington Pike and The Bungalow Terraced Gardens. It is also where my Dad’s ashes are.
Port Sunlight
Following my breakdown aged 47 years I had to take Ill Health Early Retirement from my teaching career which was heartbreaking. I had recurring episodes of depression & mania and was diagnosed with Bipolar Affective Disorder in 2008. I did many camera walks round Wirral with my dog Tess & but Port Sunlight was always my go to special place … especially the Rose Walk with my mum. We also explored the Art Gallery together for the first time revealing & understanding the strong Lever links between Bolton & Port Sunlight.
The Last 10 Years
My lovely Mum died in 2013 and I had to have my special dog Tess put down a few years later. Both losses hit me very hard but frequent solo visits to the Rose Walk and Garden Centre helped heal me.
Over time it also became my go to place to share with friends and close friends and Danni did her A Level art project there.
The Covid Years
The world wide Coronavirus epidemic hit everybody very hard in so many different ways. It was the loneliest time of my life because I live on my own and wasn’t in anyone’s bubble. I became very isolated and was in a constant state of anxiety & my mental health suffered a lot. The Rose Walk again became especially important for me becoming a refuge over so many difficult months & years. We shared many WhatsApp photos I sent those of my garden & Port Sunlight changing throughout the seasons and welcomed puppy & baby photos back… all of whom grew up fast.
Port Sunlight today
Today Port Sunlight is a conservation area & has over 2,000 residents plus 900 houses of architectural interest. The art gallery has 30 rooms & 12,000 works of art. It also has a Museum & Garden Centre where I go to often for the best seasonal plants for my wellbeing garden. The art gallery also has a cafe which is becoming an important new place for me to meet friends. The current exhibition is Flower Fairies which I am looking forward to explore.
Port Sunlight Roses
BRIAN BARLOW Rivington Moors
This picture of our Rivington moors was painted by our family local artist Brian Barlow. As you look at it in the centre is Rivington Pike, to the right is Winter Hill Tv mast and to the left is Leverhulme’s Terraced Gardens. This personal & significant art work is in my den in a key position. It gives me love & strength to help keep me going step by step.
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