Thorpe Station opened in 1866, opening up this part of Essex which had previously been a rural backwater until the mid 19th century. Its location meant a livestock market opened in what is now the car park shortly afterwards, and every week the site would be full of farm animals, some arriving and departing on cattle trucks via the railway. A pub (the King Edward VII) opened at the entrance to the railway yard in 1901, to cater for the weekly meeting of the farmers coming to market.
In 1878 the Maltings (now extremely derelict and visible opposite the station building) opened, also to take advantage of the railway. Barley was brought in by rail from around Tendring and beyond, and the products then transported to London. The builder of the Maltings, Robert Free, was a leading innovator in the malting industry, and later developed the maltings at Mistley, which are still in operation.
The original station building has now been converted to two cottages, and there is a modern building in place. The station was re-named Thorpe-le-Soken Station in 1900. The two platforms form an island platform, accessible by an original Victorian footbridge.