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Seventeen strollers met at Port Sunlight Station for today’s walk where Brian and Brenda gave out information leaflets with a map of the village. Starting opposite the “Tudor Rooms” Tea Room, which was originally the Village Post Office and General Store, we walked along Greendale Road (didn’t see Postman Pat) past the Gladstone Theatre to face the Lever Brothers Factory. Originally based in Warrington, the company bought the land here which was large enough to allow space for expansion, and had a prime location between the river and a railway line. We then made our way along Bridge Street and across the Dell Bridge to see early morning bowlers on the greens. Passing by Hulme Hall (once a womens dining hall, now a Community Centre) we came to the central avenue and the Hillsborough Memorial. Here we had great views down the avenue to the War Memorial and the Lady Lever Art Gallery in the distance. We walked along the avenue to the War Memorial and then continued to the Diamond Jubilee Sundial. This is an Analemmatic Sundial at which you use your body to cast the shadow and read the time on the hour pillars. (First time I’d heard that word!) A fine array of flowers filled the central beds and we reached the, now empty, pond. This did have a triple fountain springing from a sculpture, “Sea Horse” by Charles Wheeler (1950), but it had to be turned off because of leakage which was leading to deterioration of the stonework. Rubber matting was installed for protection and funds are being raised to bring it back into use. At the end of the avenue are the Lady Lever Art Gallery and the Port Sunlight Museum. These are both well worth a visit with more time, but today, we continued our walk past the Leverhulme Hotel, the Primary School and reached the sandstone built, Christ Church, a United Reformed Church. After admiring the church, our walk ended at the Bridge Inn, formerly a Temperance Hotel.
During the walk, at each of the features above, Brian told us of their history. He also gave us facts and history of the village itself and its many different buildings and architectural features and of the lives of the villagers. A most interesting “Walk and Talk”.

Thanks to Brian and Brenda for organising and leading the walk and all the information above.

Hope to see you all again next time.