The lead industry had been established on the Isle of Dogs for a long time and this lead manufactory became the largest in the area. In early 1890s, Locke, Lancaster & W. W. Johnson & Sons Ltd. acquired the business and continued to expand. By the 1950s, Associated Lead Manufacturers Ltd. had taken over adjoining wharves and premises until a long stretch of the riverfront was given over to lead production. The manufactory closed down in the early 1980s and the site was cleared by 1987. It remained vacant until 1999 when work began on a major residential scheme called Locke’s Wharf by the developers St George PLC.
