The station opened as South Woodford (George Lane) on 22 August 1856 as part of the Eastern Counties Railway branch to Loughton, which was eventually extended to Epping and Ongar in 1865. The station then formed part of the Great Eastern Railway's system until that company was merged into the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923. The station was subsequently transferred to form part of London Underground's Central Line from 14 December 1947. This formed a part of the long planned, and delayed, Eastern Extension of the Central line that was part of the London Passenger Transport Board's "New Works Programme" of 1935 - 1940.
The station underwent considerable renovations in 2006, 150 years after its first opening.
The suffix "George Lane" has been officially dropped since 1947, upon transfer to the Underground, but is, unusually, retained on the station's nameplate roundels.
Platform
It was once suggested that the Victoria line could be extended to Woodford or South Woodford stations.
The Station has two entrances, one on each side of the line. Both are on George Lane, a road split in half when the level crossing was removed during electrification. The footbridge can be used without a ticket, as unusually for stations on the Epping branch, the footbridge is outside the ticket gate line.
The eastbound ticket office is open each morning for ticket sales. The westbound ticket office is no longer in use. Self-service ticket/oyster machines are in operation.
London Buses Routes 679, 179, 549, W12, W13, W14 and Night Route N55 serve the station.