In 1859 the Tendring Hundred Railway Company was formed to extend the line from Hythe to Wivenhoe which opened on 8 May 1863 for both passenger and goods services from Colchester.
By the time the Wivenhoe extension opened the line was operated by the GER Great Eastern Railway who bought the line from the Tendring Hundred Railway in 1883.
Thorington station was opened as part of the Tendring Hundred Extension Railway on 8 January 1866.
[3] The confusion as to the spelling of the name appears long-established; although Victorian Ordnance Survey maps show 'Thorrington Station' [4] - and this has remained the official spelling ever since as far as local authorities are concerned - Bradshaw's timetables list 'Thorington', as did the BR Eastern Region timetable up until the station's closure.
[5] Operation of the station passed to the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923.