Brick Lane Music Hall is proud of its association with Tate and Lyle, the famous sugar company operating in Silvertown, on the banks of the Thames just a stone’s throw away from the theatre.

Henry Tate opened the Silvertown refinery in 1878, specialising in sugar cubes. Five years later Abram Lyle began refining sugar and making golden syrup in nearby Plaistow. In 1921 they joined forces to form Tate and Lyle, together producing half of the UK’s sugar. Despite the restrictions and tariffs imposed by the EU which have limited trade in recent decades they remain one of the largest sugar refiners in the entire world, and a major local employer.

To mark the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the opening of the refinery, the company held a fun day for 1,500 guests, mostly local families and current and former employees and their families, who were entertained by Brick Lane Music Hall performers Andrew Robley and Lucy Reed, with Musical Director Martin Layzell, pictured above.