Across the Mersey in the model village of Port Sunlight, but easily reached from central Liverpool by the Mersey ferry or Merseyrail (Bebington station). The gallery was built in 1922 by William Lever, the soap magnate, to house his personal collection and is one of the finest small art galleries in Britain.
The Pre-Raphaelite holdings — Holman Hunt, Rossetti, Millais — are among the best anywhere, alongside outstanding Wedgwood, Chinese porcelain, and 18th-century English furniture. Free entry; allow at least half a day combined with a wander through Port Sunlight village itself, which Lever built for his factory workers and is a planned garden village of considerable charm.