A new vision for Church Drive Field

LIAM ENGLISH, PSVT’S LANDSCAPE MANAGER, UPDATES US ON PLANS FOR THE PLANTING

For many years the trees along Church Drive Field - balsam poplars, conifers and Lombardy poplars - screened the rear of the Jubilee Crescent houses. However, as with all green spaces, we’ve begun to see change. When the conifers were removed we were able to replace them with a mixed native hedge and mixed tree species, such as elms and ornamental cherries, greatly improving the available food sources and wildlife habitats. Sadly, the Lombardy poplars became unsafe and had to be removed last year, but this presents us with an opportunity to improve this area’s biodiversity by planting a range of native trees and shrubs. This involves creating a canopy of taller trees, an understory of smaller trees and large shrubs, and a ground layer of smaller plants, grasses, ferns and wildflowers. Rather than a single species avenue planted within grassland previously seen, we’ll create seven miniature woodlands, each containing large sheltering trees (such as oak, birch and larch), smaller fruiting trees (like holly, rowan and wild cherry) and a ground layer (viburnum, honeysuckle, native ferns and wildflowers). The centre of the field will be left clear. These new habitats will be created in stages, beginning this spring. This allows for proper establishment and enables us to see which trees and shrubs will bring the most benefit to Port Sunlight’s wildlife.

“You can’t rewrite history!” is a phrase we hear a lot nowadays, when politicians and the media debate our national heritage. The thought of history being rewritten sounds really worrying, since it can make us feel like everything we know about the world and our place in it is being threatened or might be lost somehow.

The exciting thing about history, though, is that it’s actually rewritten every single day. In fact, it’s been rewritten over and over again right across the centuries. You see, it’s all down to the difference between ‘history’ and ‘the past’. Simply put, the past is everything that took place before today. It can’t be changed – it happened and that’s that. History, however, is something else. A clue is hidden within the word itself: it’s a ‘story’, the tale we tell about the past, based on our current understandings of it.

Now, because these understandings are forever shifting and growing, history is always evolving too. We see this best, for example, when an archaeological find pushes back the established date that the human species first inhabited a certain place - sometimes by many thousands of years - or when the discovery of a long-forgotten document turns what we knew about a historical figure totally on its head. And, for me, the reason history is so compelling is exactly because it’s in this constant state of change.

When we understand history as a story that’s changing all the time, we also realise that there can’t be one single version of that story either. Let’s say you and I were to describe the same event. Because we each view the world according to our unique backgrounds and beliefs, the descriptions we’d give would naturally be different. Similarly, historians from opposite sides of a conflict might give contradictory accounts of it. More often than not, the history that sticks is just the one that’s told by the winning side.

If we come together to reconsider a dominant history and the people who have upheld it, we begin to ask powerful questions: whose version of the past is this? Who gets to decide what story is told? And who should be telling it? Through questions like these, people, places, stories, and perspectives that have been silenced or forgotten over time slowly re-emerge. The past suddenly becomes full of new possibilities. And so, rather than erasing the past, when we critically examine history we are really widening the lens and bringing more of the past into view than ever before. Working with history means engaging with the complexity of the past to help inspire and empower us all to create a brighter world here in the present. Every single day, it’s this amazing potential that motivates me to be a part of the heritage sector.

Over the years, Port Sunlight’s history of pioneering social welfare has been shared loudly, but its heavy links with colonialism and forced labour practices overseas have been left untold. Both interrelated truths deserve to be explored in the story of the village as a whole. There’s so much we can all gain from this richer perspective. PSVT is beginning the work to bring the past into greater focus and I’m excited to work alongside the different communities with links Port Sunlight, as the next chapter of village history takes shape.

Coming to a road near you this spring…

You may have noticed that most of the upright signposts around the village are currently empty. This will soon change with the fitting of new ‘Welcome to Port Sunlight’ signs. Each is designed to make visitors feel welcome in the village, with smaller directional signage beneath the main notice. The signs will be black, reflecting the general aesthetic of Port Sunlight as a Designated Conservation Area and heritage setting.

Boating Pond Update

Our work behind the scenes on the boating pond continues. As you may be aware, the original design and materials of the boating pond have caused significant problems and led to water continually leaking.

PSVT took the very difficult decision to switch off the fountain and drain the pond of water while a solution was found. Working with consultants and specialist teams we’re now finalising the options for its repair and will keep you updated with our progress.

War Memorial Conservation Work

You may recall from previous issues of the Gazette that condition surveys of key village monuments have been completed to help us understand the treatments needed for each. These surveys are enabling us to begin a phased programme of planned maintenance and repair works.

This year, the Grade I listed War Memorial will receive specialist maintenance and conservation work. This will include repointing the joints between stonework, as well as relaying some of the steps. The bronzes will be stabilised, gently cleaned, and the protective wax coating reapplied. Future planned work includes repainting the inscriptions and replacing any missing letters.

The work will require scaffolding and fencing to be erecting around the perimeter of the memorial so that the conservation specialists can safely access its highest points. Unfortunately, this means that at times the memorial will be inaccessible to the public. However, we will do our best to keep disruption to the minimum and let you know when this work will take place. We want to thank you for your support while we carry out this essential work. It is only made possible by the support we receive from residents, visitors and funders.

INTRODUCING THE TENANTS’ HANDBOOK

To help our tenants make the most of living in Port Sunlight, we have created a new tenants’ handbook. It features lots of useful information, including:

Your rights and responsibilities

Rent charges

Repairing your property

Getting involved in village life

Visit portsunlightresidents.com to download a copy, but if you would prefer a hard copy contact our office on 0151 644 4800 or email admin@portsunlightvillage.com. We’d also love to hear your feedback on the handbook.

Managing condensation in your property

Condensation is by the far most common cause of damp in Port Sunlight properties. It can lead to mould growth, make paint blister and wallpaper peel.

There are some simple steps you can take to limit condensation and prevent these problems:

Make less moisture open windows, wipe wet surfaces with a dry cloth and turn on the extractor fan

Increase ventilation try to open at least two windows in different rooms for at least 30 mins per day

Keep your home warm

Clean away mould as quickly as possible

For further information and advice contact us at admin@portsunlightvillage.com or 0151 644 4800.

One of the most important roles of PSVT’s conservation advisory service is to understand the condition of its most valuable heritage assets, Port Sunlight’s historic homes. Surveying more than 900 houses is a big project, but one that is important for both the built heritage and the community that calls it home. This spring a conservation-accredited architect or building surveyor will be commissioned to do a quick ‘health check’ of Port Sunlight’s historic houses. The aim of this work is to track changes to the built heritage over the last five years.

The consultant will assess the exterior of houses from both the front and back of properties. They will be surveying a sample of the Port Sunlight houses and the results of this work will inform the way we complete a wider survey project over the next seven years.

As in previous years, the consultant will not need access to your property. They will take photographs and make notes about the brick, stone, roofing tiles, wood, and exterior finishes for your homes, boundary walls and where visible, your outbuildings. They are limited to what they can see from accessible, ground-level places.

We will share more details once the consultant has been appointed and a schedule of work agreed. We will also publish the overall results of the health check survey online to demonstrate trends or patterns for change, and results will be included in a revised conservation management plan. Individual survey results will be confidential.