By the 17th and 18th centuries, Epsom was close to the centre of Waiohua, an influential union of Tāmaki Māori tribes, who focused life at Maungawhau / Mount Eden and Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill.

From 1930 to 1989, eastern Epsom was the One Tree Hill Borough, a local government area independent from the City of Auckland.

While the suburb has no concrete landmarks that differentiate Epsom from surrounding areas,[3] Epsom is primarily a valley enclosed by four volcanoes of the Auckland volcanic field: Maungawhau / Mount Eden to the northwest, Tītīkōpuke / Mount Saint John to the northeast, Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill to the southeast and Te Tātua a Riukiuta / Three Kings to the southwest.

[4] Prior to European settlement, the Epsom valley was the location of numerous streams which flowed northwards towards the Waitematā Harbour.

[11] Typically Robert Wynyard, superintendent of the Auckland Province, is identified as the person who chose the name Epsom,[7][10] although this may be apocryphal.

[10] While no traditional Tāmaki Māori names appear to refer to the Epsom valley, some traditional names include Te Rua-a-Rangi ("The Pit of Rangi"), located at the Great South Road and Manukau Road intersection, Te Punga-a-Rangi ("The Spring of Rangi"), located near the Mount Saint John Avenue and Manukau Road intersection, and Ngā Ana-peka-rau ("The Cave of Many Bats"), located near Windmill Park.

[12] The Epsom area is primarily formed by volcanic soil modified into agricultural pasture, lying on top of Waitemata Group sandstone.

The youngest volcano in the Epsom area is Maungawhau / Mount Eden, which is estimated to have last erupted 28,000 years ago.

[13] To the southeast of Maungawhau / Mount Eden was Te Pou Hawaiki, a small scoria cone located at the modern-day site of the Auckland College of Education, which was quarried away.

[20] The wider area was devoted to the shifting cultivation of crops, primarily kūmara (sweet potato).

Soil from Hawaiki (the Māori homeland) was placed at the site during the early settlement period, and rituals were performed here prior to major hunting and fishing expeditions.

[28][29] During this period, thousands of people lived at fortified pā complexes on Maungawhau / Mount Eden and Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill,[30] The Te Taoū hapū of Ngāti Whātua defeated Kiwi Tāmaki, the paramount chief of Waiohua circa 1741, at a battle at Paruroa (Big Muddy Creek) in the lower Waitākere Ranges, under the leadership of Tuperiri.

[22] In 1840 after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, paramount chief Apihai Te Kawau made a tuku (strategic gift) of land at Waihorotiu on the Waitematā Harbour to William Hobson, the first Governor of New Zealand, as a location for the capital of the colony to develop.

[37] In June 1841, the Crown purchased an additional 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) of land south of Auckland from Apihai Te Kawau, much of which became the modern suburb of Epsom.

By the 1850s, wheat had become unprofitable, leading to the growth in potatoes as a crop, an areas being redeveloped for livestock, including cattle, sheep, horses, pigs and poultry.

[44] As the windmill became less profitable the owners struggled financially, and resorted to taking Tāmaki Māori human remains from lava caves on Maungawhau / Mount Eden, and grinding these to make bone fertiliser.

[44] During the Invasion of the Waikato in the early 1860s, the Epsom windmill was converted into a defensive post for the surrounding area.

[45] By the 1860s, Epsom and Remuera had grown to become locations where upper class families of Auckland built country manors and large houses.

[46][47] Tensions existed between the farmers of Epsom and its upper class residents, many of whom complained about agricultural odours and practices.

Amenities arrived much later in Epsom than other areas close to Auckland: the post office only being established in 1877, Manukau Road upgrades occurring in 1882, gas street lighting in 1882 and the first school only opening in 1885.

[50] In 1901, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall (King George V and Queen Mary of Teck) held a tour of New Zealand.

[52] Cornwall Park was the former property of John Logan Campbell, who donated the lands to the City of Auckland.

[54][41] Two shopping villages developed in Epsom around the tram stops: the intersection of Greenlane and Manukau, and Greenwoods Corner.

[56] During World War I, Alexandra Park became the side of the Epsom Military Camp, where many soldiers were trained before deployment.

Training exercises were held at the One Tree Hill domain by the Epsom Company Home Guard.

[74] Since the early 1990s there has been a considerable amount of "infill" housing with clutches of townhouses altering the streetscapes in some parts of Epsom.

The broad, flat pastureland here at the intersection of Green Lane West and Manukau Roads was used for sporting events from the 1850s onwards but the two venues were only formally established around 1900.

The main route was Great South Road which forms Epsom's north-eastern boundary with Remuera.

One major landowner, Dr John Logan Campbell, gave a large portion of his estate to the city and that is now Cornwall Park.

[105][106] The Albert-Eden and Puketāpapa local board areas form the Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward, which votes for two members of the Auckland Council.