The line from Shenfield to Wickford, along with the station, were opened for goods on 19 November 1888 and for passengers on 1 January 1889 by the Great Eastern Railway.

At the London end of the station, there once was a goods yard and turntable for steam locomotives; it was closed in 1954.

A couple of sidings remain here for storing engineering vehicles or failed trains, but much of the railway land here is now in use as a car park for passengers.

The upper floor of the original Great Eastern Railway station buildings on platforms 1 and 2 were destroyed by fire in the late 1990s; however, the ground floor (including the ticket office, waiting room and staff accommodation) was saved and remained in use until 2021.

In 2020, Greater Anglia submitted plans to demolish the station building so that platform 1 could be extended for the new longer trains.