The station and connection line was first proposed in 1841 by the South Eastern Railway (SER), and surveyed by Robert Stephenson.

The line took a convoluted route to reach Margate, running via Ashford, Canterbury and Ramsgate, and requiring a reversal at the latter.

To save costs, the line was single-track beyond Canterbury and the original station building was a simple wooden structure.

Shortly after opening, a passing loop was added on the line to alleviate congestion.

[3] A chord was built at Ramsgate in 1863, which meant that trains could travel direct to the station from Canterbury without having to reverse.