When John Kerr, the principal partner, died in 1872, Lyle sold his shares and began the search for a site for a new refinery.

In the first year Lyle's refinery showed a loss of £30,000, with economies being made by asking staff to wait for their wages on occasion, but eventually the business came to dominate the United Kingdom market for golden syrup.

The brand, sold in a distinctive green and gold lidded tin with an image of a lion surrounded by bees, is believed to be Britain's oldest.

During the journey he killed a lion, and on his return past the same spot he noticed that a swarm of bees had formed a comb of honey in the carcass.

[10] In late 1878, to help the unemployed during the Long Depression, the Police Board provided work building a scenic road to a viewpoint known as the Craigs or Bingens.