Sewark/Newark St? Greenock

[raonull4]

hi
  are you ready for my theory on why it was called
the westburn,
if i m correct abram lyles father had a cooperage
on Nicholson st greenock and employed 30 or so
abram himself is listed as a cooper,
and has the familly living on Nicholson st on early census,
the west burn runs between Nicholson st and Inverkip st,
so he probably played in the burn as a kid,
i hope you are nt laughing

[raonull4]

this map may support my theory
it shows lyles cooperage in front of walkers
and behind the west burn,
walkers eventually expanded over the burn,
in 1850  therewas an extensive fire at the cooperage
i cant find anything to say it survived the fire.

[sugarbakers]

Thank you for that great map (1857), so much detail, and online too.
https://maps.nls.uk/townplans/greenock.html

Interesting theory ... but Lyles moved out of sugar in Greenock in 1880/1 with their move to London (they continued in shipping).
Westburn Refineries Ltd was founded in 1894/6 by the Kerr family, with whom Lyle had been in partnership at the Glebe until 1880.
Lyle merged with Tate in 1921 to form T&L.
T&L bought the Walker refinery in 1929 and closed it in 1979.
Westburn, was not purchased by T&L until 1976 when it bought out Manbre & Garton, who had owned it since 1965.

[raonull4]

hi
    i did say don t laugh though i did find it
very interesting that lyle had that connection to
the Nicholson st and the west burn
because i was born on Nicholson st.