In 1870, the Great Eastern Railway opened a line from Lea Bridge Road to Shern Hall Street station (a temporary station located west of the present day Wood street station) and a shuttle service operated commencing traffic on 24 April 1870. The train service was not operated as a through service and passengers had to change for trains to Bishopsgate station (this was the destination before Liverpool Street opened). The line between Hackney Downs and Church Hall Junction opened on 1 August 1872 and direct services to Bishopsgate commenced as a result. In 1873 the line was extended to a temporary terminus at Chingford (where the engines refilled from a farm pond). This extension saw the closure of Shern Hall station and the opening of Wood Street and Hale End, renamed in 1894 Highams Park and Hale End. The present station, to the design of Neville Ashbee, was inaugurated in 1903. Hale End shares the postal district of IG8 with Woodford Green, as opposed to the rest of Highams Park, which takes the Chingford postal district, E4. Some consider Hale End to be part of Highams Park as there is no break in the rows of houses between the two areas, whereas others consider it to be a different place as it originated from a different village settlement and has a different postcode district
The park is known officially as "The Highams Park" but is often known locally as "Highams Park Field", "The Field", "The Park" or "The lake". Most of the park is on a hill with a gradual rise to the north end. It is frequented by dog walkers, runners and families. The park has no facilities except an under-8's playground and public notice boards. Highams Park Lake is to the west of the park, and is owned by the City of London Corporation although the rest of the park is maintained by the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The lake was formed by the landscape gardener Humphry Repton who created it by damming the River Ching. The lake, the adjoining park and the Manor House (now Woodford County High School) were owned by Highams Bensted. The railway line cuts through the area with a level crossing, close to the station, this being the only place actually in Highams Park where vehicles can cross the track. The level crossing itself, until 2002, was controlled by a signalman who worked in the traditional signal box next to the crossing. However, in 2002, despite local opposition, the gates began to be operated from a central office at Liverpool Street Station. The signal box was marked for demolition, but due to the efforts of "The Highams Park Forum" (a group of local residents), and local Member of Parliament (and then leader of the Conservative Party) Iain Duncan Smith, the box was saved with the intention of turning it into a museum or a tea room; however, this never happened and so it has remained empty. Platform 1 has trains for Liverpool Street and platform 2 has trains for Chingford. Wood Street station is in Travel Card zone 4. The station has wi-fi, payphones and help points but no toilets.
Connections: London Buses routes 212, 275, W16 and school bus route 675 serve the station.
