It is part of the London sewerage system devised by Sir Joseph Bazalgette in the mid 19th century.

Today operated by Thames Water, it is located on the western side of Norman Road, approximately 0.5 km (0.31 mi) south west of Greenwich town centre, on the eastern bank of Deptford Creek, around 0.5 km (0.31 mi) south of its confluence with the River Thames.

In the year 1919/20 the Deptford pumps handled 21,890.1 million imperial gallons (99,514,000 m3) and the running costs were £28,818.

[2] Deptford was the south London equivalent of Abbey Mills pumping station, which performed a similar function for the Northern Outfall Sewer.

[9][10][11] Over 150 years later, in the early 2020s, the Greenwich pumping station site was the location of a shaft used to drive the Greenwich connection tunnel to Chambers Wharf on the Thames Tideway Scheme, currently under construction,[11][12] and intended to partly supersede Bazalgette's system.