This parish is situated east of the ; it is bounded on the north by the river Thames, on the east by the parish of St. John, on the north by parish and St. Thomas, and on the west by the parish of .

Its particular boundaries are as follows: commencing at the foot of New London-bridge, the boundary proceeds to the , where it turns south to the north side of , round which it proceeds to the-north side of the New way behind the houses, to the Maze, where it turns south to Maze Poud, which it traverses in a westerly direction to the south side of ; here it turns south through , to the north side of Snows'-fields, which it keeps to the east end of Snows'-fields, at its junction with , thence to , down which it proceeds in an easterly direction to Potter's-fields, where it arrives at the Thames.

The parish of St. Olave, like many others in the suburbs of London, being greatly increased both in number and inhabitants, the commissioners for erecting new churches within the bills of mortality, purchased the ground, in which the trained bands of formerly exercised, and from that circumstance called the artillery ground, whereon they erected a parish church, for the district of Horsly-down, and dedicated it to St. John the Evangelist, the inhabitants having obtained an act of parliament for constituting this portion of the parish of St. Olave into a separate parish, and making a provision for its rector.

[] Dr. Hughson's London, vol. iv. pp. 451-2.