Sulphuric Acid production was one of Newham's main chemical industries. This view is of  F. W. Berk & Co. Ltd who had a chemical works at Pacific Wharf.  Sometime before 1886 the company took over the business of Thomas Bell & Co., itself founded in about 1870 . The company became Berk Spencer Acids in 1970.

In 1859 there had been just seven firms producing chemicals in West Ham and by 1919 this had risen to 100 firms.