It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of Rotherhithe, west of Cubitt Town, and has a long shoreline along London's Tideway, part of the River Thames.

Millwall is a smaller area of land than an average parish, as it was part of Poplar until the 19th century when it became heavily industrialised, containing the workplaces and homes of a few thousand dockside and shipbuilding workers.

[1] First nicknamed 'the Dockers' before becoming 'the Lions', the team moved south of the river to New Cross in 1910, however a set of amateur football pitches remain, adjoining Cubitt Town alongside the City Farm that was added in the 20th century.

Improvements led by the Lord Mayor William Cubitt in reinforcing the land solved the periodic flooding caused by major snow melt and spring tides.

On 31 January 1858, the largest ship of that time, the SS Great Eastern, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was launched from Napier Yard, the shipyard leased by Messrs J Scott Russell & Co.

[4] A section of the concrete and timber substructure from the launch site is now preserved on-site for public display at the modern Napier Avenue.

They are commemorated in the names of the Samuda Estate on Manchester Road, and Yarrow House on Stewart Street.

[5] Like other parts of the Isle of Dogs, substantial redevelopment has been more or less ongoing since the 1980s, resulting in modern industrial and commercial buildings and hastily constructed contemporary housing beginning to predominate over the remaining early 20th century "two up, two down" semi-detached and terraced homes that housed the dock workers, often overcrowded with occupants.

The post-World War II period saw the area become a focus of regeneration programmes on the former industrial land in Millwall.

In September 2004, Tower Hamlets' Respect party fought its second council election in the borough, standing local activist Paul McGarr.

White British people comprise 31% of the population of the Millwall ward of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

[11] 45.1% of people living in Millwall were born in England, with a number of other countries represented including Bangladesh (6.8%), India (4.7%), and China (4.3%).

[12] The religious make up of Millwall is 32.1% Christian, 22.0% No religion, 18.0% Muslim, 4.9% Hindu, 1.9% Buddhist, 0.4% Sikh, and 0.4% Jewish.