Opened as Abbey by the Downham and Stoke Ferry Railway on 1 August 1882,[2] the line was run from the beginning by the Great Eastern Railway (GER). The station was renamed twice: on 1 January 1886 it became Abbey for West Dereham; and in 1923 as a result of the Grouping the GER became part of the London and North Eastern Railway and the new owners renamed the station Abbey and West Dereham, this occurring on 1 July 1923.[2] The station closed to passenger traffic on 22 September 1930.[2]