Oil on canvas

"Art is to everyone an inspiration" - William Hesketh Lever 1922

William Hesketh Lever was born in Bolton and left school at 16 to join the family wholesale grocery business. He later set up his own business - Lever Brothers - to manufacture soap. It became a multinational company and the forerunner of the modern "Unilever".

Lever made a large contribution to the lives of ordinary people. He built Port Sunlight Village to provide his workforce with good housing. He campaigned for better welfare and a shorter working day. Lever also supported building, education and medical projects.

Art was another of his passions. He used his enormous wealth to put together an outstanding collection of 20,000 works of art. He built the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight to give everyone the chance to see what he regarded as the best of this wonderful collection. Today, the gallery houses one of the UK's best collections of fine and decorative art.