The station was opened on 27 July 1846, when the
London and South Western Railway officially opened the line to
Richmond for public service. Along with Richmond, it was not finished in time for a directors' special on 22 July 1846 and was still incomplete when the line opened due to delays in obtaining land. The original station was said to be similar to neighbouring
Barnes Station in its Tudor Gothic-style, but much smaller. The office at Mortlake was described as being very small, with a very small entrance room and a small inner room for the ladies' waiting-room. None of the original station survives. It was renamed
Mortlake & East Sheen in 1886, before it was renamed back to
Mortlake in 1916. '''Queen Victoria's Waiting Room''' The building next to Mortlake railway station – now occupied by a classic car showroom – houses Queen Victoria's old waiting room, built for her and Prince Albert as they frequented White Lodge in Richmond Park, where their family and later their son, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), lived. == Platforms and infrastructure ==