The Buildings Erected at Port Sunlight and Thornton Hough

Paper Read by W H Lever at a Meeting of The Architectural Association, London, March 21st, 1902

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Printing Details

First edition. Hardback, cloth spine and paper covered boards. Printed titling to upper board. 28.5 × 22.5cm, 28pp + 22 pages of architectural plans.

A rare first edition of a paper given by William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, the industrialist and philanthropist behind Port Sunlight, the model village he constructed to house his employees at the Sunlight soap works. His belief was that decent living conditions would ensure a healthy and happy workforce. This paper gives the planning and ideas behind the village, the construction of houses and landscape, and the facilities built. The text is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs, and this is followed by 22 architectural plans of the gymnasium, auditorium, open-air bath, Gladstone Hall, Hulme Hall, Co-operative stores and Girls' Institute, Men's Social Club, schools, village church, Bridge Inn, and cottages.

Condition

A scarce title in fair condition. The covers are heavily worn and rubbed, and the inner binging is weak at the hinges. The pages however are clean and the contents complete and intact. The fold-out map is in good order. A previous owner has pencilled his name to the cover and title page, and has made a small scattering of references and annotations to the plans, suggesting he was an architect.

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