Current Projects

Repairing the Boating Pond

Status: In progress

Why the Boating Pond is important

The Boating Pond is a beloved Port Sunlight landmark. It was designed for toy boats in the 1930s by Lever Brothers architect James Lomax Simpson, who was responsible for most Port Sunlight buildings designed after 1911. The bronze Sea Piece fountain by sculptor Charles Wheeler was installed in 1950 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Lady Lever’s birth. Both the Boating Pond and the fountain are Grade II listed.

Why is it empty?

The Boating Pond is nearly 100 years old. The basin of the pond was built with concrete and cement, which have caused significant problems. The Boating Pond’s walls are damaged and the waterproof materials have deteriorated in many places over the decades. Its surface has been repaired several times with different coatings to try to keep it in use, however recent surveys have demonstrated that the basin continues to leak. Port Sunlight Village Trust had to drain the Boating Pond and install rubber matting for safety reasons, and it cannot be refilled until it has been repaired. We are working with a team of heritage specialists to help repair it.

What we’re doing last updated December 2024

Surveys taken earlier in 2023 are being developed by a specialist Quantity Surveyor over the coming months to give us an updated plan and costings for the work needed to fix the Boating Pond’s long-term structural issues.

We’re investigating several routes to raising the hundreds of thousands of pounds we know will be needed to repair the Boating Pond. A range of funding bodies have been approached, however factors such as the relatively low level of the pond’s listed status (Grade II) and an increasingly competitive funding landscape have been a challenge.

PSVT has recently begun recruitment for a new Fundraising Manager, and one of their priorities will be to explore funding opportunities relevant to the Boating Pond. We are also working with the resident Heritage Advisory Group to develop our research and understanding of the Boating Pond’s importance, and we will be looking to involve them and the wider community in future funding bids. We were also recently given a £5,000 donation by Benefact Group, all thanks to the nominations of our supporters, which has gone into the pot.

How you can help

Port Sunlight Village Trust is undertaking the long, complex journey to bring this beautiful feature back into use, however this will cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. As a charity, every penny we receive is reinvested back into the village. If you would like to help repair the Boating Pond for future generations to enjoy, please donate online below or inside Port Sunlight Museum. From as little as a £5 donation, you can support this project.

  • Have fun playing the Port Sunlight Lottery for just £2 per week, in the knowledge you could be winning weekly cash prizes of up to £1,000 while a portion of every play goes to our monuments conservation fund. Join now.
  • Visit the shop at Port Sunlight Museum to purchase the 2025 Port Sunlight calendar, with all profits going to support this project. Buy online.
  • Submit your stories, memories and photographs of the Boating Pond to grow PSVT’s research and collections, with support from the Heritage Advisory Group. Submit your story.

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Examples of the Boating Pond’s structural issues