For over a hundred years until it closed in 1981, Henry Tate’s flagship sugar refinery at Love Lane dominated the Liverpool skyline – and was the beating heart of the local community.
More than 10,000 workers passed through the doors of the factory during its lifetime, with some families counting four or even five generations of service.
Young women leaving school in the post-war years were drawn by the good wages and the unrivalled social life that Tate & Lyle offered.
When they arrived, they started at the very bottom, sweeping sugar off the floors, before graduating to packing and weighing by hand. The work was tough, with girls expected to stack heavy bags of sugar onto pallets five feet high, and by the end of the day their arms were aching and their stockings full of sugar dust.
But, despite the hot, heavy work, they found their own ways of having fun, and the friendships they formed would last a lifetime. As well as the female friendships, many women met their future husbands at the factory, and expected their own children to follow in their footsteps.
The Sugar Girls of Love Lane by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi is published on 25 April, 2024. They are also the authors of the Sunday Times bestseller The Sugar Girls.
Our list of over 150 historical books, both fiction and non-fiction, coming out this year may give you some more reading inspiration.
