Today’s entry comes from Port Sunlight Village Trust:

Object Name: Bar of Sunlight Soap

Photo Credit: Port Sunlight Village Trust (PSVT)

Description: A bar of soap from the first boil at the new Lever Brothers factory at Port Sunlight. This was the first of billions of soap bars made there, bringing affordable, pure soap, hygiene and cleanliness to the households of working class families.

As a travelling salesman working across industrial Lancashire, William Lever witnessed the slum conditions and ensuing poor productivity in mills. Deciding to set up a business producing his own soap he created an affordable good quality product, making cleanliness accessible. In 1888 he founded a new factory on the banks of the River Mersey.

Alongside the factory, Lever built high quality housing for his workers and named the village after his product. Port Sunlight village gave working people healthy homes and leisure, increasing their productivity at work. His creative advertising made his soap a global household name, and his village continues to inspire town planners.

For more information about Port Sunlight Village Trust visit http://portsunlightvillage.com/

Twitter: @PortSunlight
Facebook: @portsunlightvillagetrust

Today’s entry comes from Bury Art Museum:

Object Name: The Day After Christmas, Mark Launcelot Symons

Description: Oil on canvas laid on board, signed and dated 1931. Purchased from the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1931.

In The Day after Christmas, the artist Mark Symons gives us a nostalgic glimpse of a time we can all relate to. Using his own children as models, the scene is filled with an anarchic clutter of toys, brilliantly coloured cut-paper Christmas decorations and highlights the family that surround us during this period. Painted in a forthright and direct manner, the painting has a brooding intensity that exudes the boredom and chaos after the build up to Christmas, but also the sense of joy that comes with it.

Symons was a devout man and considered taking holy orders before finally deciding to become a painter. The religious significance of Christmas is reinforced by the presence of a crib in the background with a bright star on the roof, which is at the apex of the composition.

For more information about Bury Art Museum visit https://buryartmuseum.co.uk

Twitter: @buryartmuseum
Instagram:  @bury_art_museum
Facebook: @buryartgallery

Today’s entry comes from Smithy Heritage Centre in Eccleston, St Helens.

Object Name: Rocking Horse Toy

Description: This miniature rocking horse is thought to have been made by Peter Hall or his son Elias, ‘Ellis’, the blacksmiths that ran the Smithy when it was a working forge. Although the horse is unpainted and corroded from being in the earth, it is a lovely example of a rustic home-made toy, made from two pieces of waste sheet metal hammered and shaped to form the contours of the horse’s head and body. As well as tools and horseshoes, they would make hoops for the local children to play with using leftover bits of iron. Often these would get broken and the blacksmith would repair them, each time making the hoop a little smaller, until they ended up with very small versions of the original! This object is a charming glimpse into Christmas past.

For more information about the Smithy Heritage Centre visit http://smithyheritagecentre.org.uk

Today’s entry comes from Warrington Museum & Art Gallery:

Object Name: Fiji Mermaid

Description: ‘On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me … a mermaid from Fiji.’ This rare two-headed mermaid brought back to Warrington as a gift from a travelling sailor isn’t actually a mermaid of course, it isn’t even from Fiji. This is a ningyo from Japan, an example of a traditional Japanese craft that involves mixing animal and fish parts to create grotesque figurines. The resulting figures were exhibited throughout Japan to paying customers in travelling shows known as misemono.

In the mid-19th century America’s ‘greatest showman’ P.T. Barnum famously acquired one of these mermaids and exhibited it around the United States as the body of a ‘real’ mermaid captured in a fishing net near Fiji. The exhibit was so popular that these figurines have been known as ‘Fiji Mermaids’ ever since.

For more information about Warrington Museum & Art Gallery visit https://wmag.culturewarrington.org

Facebook: WarringtonMuseum
Twitter: @warringtonmus

Today’s entry comes from Lion Salt Works in Northwich:

Object Name: Salt Boots

Description: Who is dreaming of a white Christmas? We are! These boots, on display at the Lion Salt Works, may look like someone has just walked through the snow and is now warming them by the fire but looks can be deceiving. The crystals that have encased these boots, inside and out, are salt crystals rather than the icy kind. These boots are believed to have been left by a worker at the Salt Works when it closed in the 1980s. These are a great example of what could happen to workers clothes if they were not cleaned regularly. When left in a salty environment, especially near the salt pans, salt is known to build up.

For more information about Lion Salt Works visit http://lionsaltworks.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk

Today’s entry comes from Ravenglass Railway Museum in Cumbria:

Object Name: Santa Special Train Headboard

Photo © Peter van Zeller

Description: Important trains carried distinctive headboards on the locomotive pulling the coaches. This example in Ravenglass Railway Museum decorated Santa trains on the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, now universally popular which first ran on the line, known as ‘La’al Ratty’ over 75 years ago.

For more information about Ravenglass Railway Museum visit https://ravenglassrailwaymuseum.co.uk

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Twitter: @rermuseum