The station was opened by the Great Central Railway on 15 March 1899,[1] built to the standard GCR arrangement of having an island platform set between the two main running lines.

In 2009, a £20,000 grant allowed the station to have new toilets, and a lift in the entrance hall to be installed for the benefits of the disabled visitors.

The station has appeared in many film and television programmes, chosen for its retro aesthetic, such as Enigma, Shadowlands and Cemetery Junction.

The current Loughborough Gap project will result in the shed being demolished, due to its position intercepting the line to Ruddington.

The brownfield site on which it will eventually be built, will include the shed itself (half of which will be converted into a workshop), a second carriage works, storage sidings and an education centre for school groups.