The station was opened by the Salisbury and Yeovil Railway (S&YR) on 7 May 1860, when the company extended its line from Gillingham to Sherborne.

From 1963 the line was transferred to the Western Region, and in that year the Reshaping of British Railways report was published.

The signal box was closed on 4 January 1970 when the level crossing was converted to lifting barriers which were for many years controlled by a member of staff from a panel at the end of the eastbound platform.

[5] South Western Railway operate hourly throughout most of the week between Exeter St Davids, Sherborne, Salisbury and London Waterloo station.

Services are timetabled to pass at Sherborne but the double track provides some flexibility should one of them be running late.