By Kathy Taylor

Goldie guards the entrance to Tate & Lyle's Plaistow Wharf, in Knight's Road, West Silvertown. He originally adorned the western end of the  main office building at Plaistow Wharf which was demolished when the company moved its Golden Syrup operations to Silvertown Refinery.

The plaque is of Portland stone and the recumbent lion is surrounded by a swarm of bees, the motto reads ‘Out Of The Strong Came Forth Sweetness'. Goldie and the bees was registered as the trademark of Lyle's Golden Syrup in 1904.

Abram Lyle had strong religious beliefs, which is why Goldie, the Lyle's Golden Syrup trademark depicts a quotation from the Bible.  In the Old Testament (Book of Judges 14:14) Samson was travelling to the land of the Philistines in search of a wife.  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.  Samson later turned this into a riddle: "Out of the eater came forth meat and out of the strong came forth sweetness".  However, no-one knows why Abram chose the wording 'Out of the strong came forth sweetness'.