2007-11-26 Corporate responsiblity

Recently I had the opportunity to visit Port Sunlight which had been created by the Victorian entrepreneur William Hesketh Lever. (1851-1925) I remembered the large yellow blocks of soap that my mother used to use. Sunlight soap. We loved them as kids as if you put them in your bath your could create loads of bubbles.

Nowadays Lever Brothers became Unilever and is still going strong. He came from a business family but hit on the idea of packaging soap which in those days came in blocks and was cut up by the grocer. He then spent millions creating a brand which was new in those days.

He is remembered today as he built a model village at Port Sunlight between 1889 and 1914 of 800 cottages.

These entrepreneurs wanted to make money. improve the lot of the workers and leave a legacy they certainly did that.

The book covers ten Victorians most of whose businesses survive to this day. Thomas Holloway like Boots was a pharmacists but his business has been taken over, Titus Salt was a fabric manufacturer but that has disappeared over the year as id Samuel Morley's clothes empire.

George Palmer was of Huntley and Palmers biscuits which thrived until recently. Jeremiah James Colman still retains the name as being the premier mustard company. Andrew Carnegie made steel in the US and is remembered by Carnegie Hall. George Cadbury and Joseph Rowntree were sweet manufacturers who still thrive. Jesse Boot was the famous chemist and Lever had his soap.

They were all born after 1800 and they thrived up the end of that century. Obviously Britain was predominate in that period and they spotted a gap in the market.They operated in the boom years of 1850 -1880. trade conditions had improved and there were moves towards free trade and the removal of taxes such as the corn laws and the removal of excise duty on soap and cocoa.

Most were Quakers or nonconformists who could not get on in a highly class ridden society which was dominated by the Church of England. They had to go into trade to make their way in the world.

Their political and religious views made them believe in self help , free trade and hard work.

I remember in more recent times that Marks and Spencer were noted for their philanthropy towards their employees. With the welfare state it is not so necessary but in Victorian times it must have been a revelation.

I doubt modern entrepreneurs with all their ability to publicise themselves and their attempts at self aggrandisement will have such an effect on our lives as those Victorian pioneers. Their model villages are still there to see and their brands still exist.

A great book and if you are interested in social history and what shaped modern Britain it is a must read.