The station opened on 1 April 1867 as "Kentish Town", was renamed "Kentish Town West" on 2 June 1924, and closed after a serious fire on 18 April 1971.
To allow four-car trains to run on the London Overground network, the North London Line between and Stratford closed in February 2010, and reopened on 1 June 2010, in order to install a new signalling system and to extend 30 platforms.