The station was opened by the Great Eastern Railway on 1 May 1903 on their Fairlop Loop line between Woodford and Ilford.

As part of the 1935–1940 New Works Programme of the London Passenger Transport Board the majority of the Woodford to Ilford loop was to be transferred to form the eastern extensions of the Central line.

The station ticket office was reconstructed as part of this work following destruction of the original building by a German V1 'Doodlebug' in July 1944.

[citation needed] However, staff are available 24 hours a day for customer information and the train service has been extended to midnight to take into account the rising passenger numbers.

The typical off-peak services are: At morning rush hour, there are three trains that run to West Ruislip.