The station was opened by the Eastern Union Railway (EUR), with regular passenger services commencing on 12 December 1849.

The booking hall of the station had once housed a circus which formed an entertainment centre known as Ranelagh Gardens.

[4] The station closed to passenger traffic in 1916 but remained open as a goods depot, with coal being handled in the adjacent yard.

[5] The station buildings were largely demolished after the Second World War and were finally removed in February 1953.

The table below shows the tonnages handled by the four Norwich stations in a 12-week period ending in October 1958.