The station was opened by the South Eastern Railway on 31 August 1842, when the line was extended from Tonbridge to Headcorn.

[3] A footbridge over the platforms was installed in 1961, in preparation for the electrification of the South Eastern Main Line.

[5] Staplehurst is located in the north of the urban area on the A229 road which runs from Chatham to Hastings via Maidstone.

The stretch of line near the station which crosses the River Beult was the site of a fatal train accident on 9 June 1865, which killed ten people and injured forty.

[10] On 15 September 1940, during the Battle of Britain, a Hurricane piloted by Belgian Georges Doutrepont crashed into the station.