It was built to serve the village of East Ardsley near Wakefield in the English county of West Yorkshire.

[2] Both lines soon became part of the rapidly expanding Great Northern Railway network in the area and by 1866 the opening of the jointly-owned West Riding and Grimsby Railway from Wakefield to Doncaster put the station on the main line between Leeds and London King's Cross.

The GNR subsequently became part of the London and North Eastern Railway during the Grouping of 1923.

The station was eventually closed by the British Railways Board on 2 November 1964 as part of the Beeching cutbacks, with the line to Bradford following suit on 4 July 1966.

Land adjacent to The Site of Ardsley Station is now developed for 88 residential houses and apartments by Miller Homes.