Java Wharf rests on the western bank of The Neckinger, a partially subterranean tributary that joins the Thames via St Saviour’s Dock. St Saviour’s Dock was created in the 13th century by the monks of Bermondsey Abbey. The Monks enlarged and embanked the Neckinger and then built and ran a windmill on its bank, naming the dock after the abbey’s patron, The Mill of St Saviour. After the dissolution of the monasteries in around 1536, the windmill was converted into a water mill - it later became the first water-powered gunpowder factory in England. It was then rebuilt as a paper mill and by the middle of the 19th century, the site was occupied by lead mills.

The area’s industrial prominence declined in the 20th century, partly due to congestion and partially because ships were unloading further east along the river into containers. Most warehouses have since been converted for residential use yet retain their original features characteristic of their former use, such as bare-faced brickwork, winches and large sign-writing.