The station was opened in 1902 by the Whitechapel and Bow Railway, a joint venture between the District Railway and the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway. The new railway connected the District Railway at Whitechapel with the London, Tilbury and Southend at Bow.
Electrified District Railway services started in 1905. Hammersmith and City line services (then part of the Metropolitan line) started in 1936. The station passed to London Underground in 1950.
The layout and design of the station is largely unchanged with many original features intact.