The sugar and slave trade played a pivotal role in the adoption of rhubarb hybrids as a garden and farm-grown crop in Britain. During the 1800s, British cultivation of rhubarb increased significantly as cane sugar became more affordable and widely available. Sugar, the essential sweetener for tart rhubarb, made the plant more palatable and desirable as a culinary ingredient.
In many ways, the rise of rhubarb as a quintessential British flavor was shaped by the transatlantic sugar and slave trade.
Greenock, located on the banks of the Clyde, was a major hub for sugar processing. The town’s first large refinery was built by Mark Kuhl in 1765 at the foot of Sugarhouse Lane. Ships arriving from the West Indies slave colonies ensured a steady supply of raw sugar for processing in Greenock. James Ewing, one of several wealthy merchants engaged in this trade, owned sugar-producing estates in the West Indies and played a key role in developing Greenock’s sugar refining industry. The refining trade created substantial fortunes, profoundly influencing Greenock’s political and economic landscape.
This connection to the sugar trade continued into the 19th and 20th centuries. It ended in June 1997, when the last cargo of sugar was delivered to Tate & Lyle’s Westburn refinery, marking the close of a 250-year history.
Image: Greenock's iconic sugar sheds, built between 1884 and 1886. © Scottish Civic Trust