[1][2][3] The station was opened in 1848 by the Windsor Staines and South Western Railway Company.

The station then passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.

When sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Network SouthEast until the privatisation of British Rail.

At the east end of the main station building is the station house (known as White Lodge), built in 1857 to accommodate Prince Albert on his visit to open the nearby Welsh School (now St. James' School for Senior Boys), although it is unclear whether he actually stayed there.

In 2015 the station was refurbished, and a ramp was installed to improve disability access to the ticket office and waiting room.