The station stands on the south quay of the West India Docks' South Dock.
South Dock began as the City Canal, cut across the Isle of Dogs and opened in 1805 as a short cut between two reaches of the Thames. It never paid its way, and in 1829 it was sold to the West India Dock Company. Enlarged in 1866–70, it was renamed the South West India Dock, later known as South Dock.