Place Name
Runs along the southern boundary of Crystal Palace Park. The name itself means the lonely place and comes from some Scottish and Northern dialects. It was the name of a property owned by William Sanderson, a Scottish silk manufacturer, who bought a large tract of land shortly after Penge Common was enclosed and the turnpike (toll road) Clays Lane (now Elmers End Road and Anerley Road) was extended across it, creating a new access route in 1827. The station was opened originally as Anerley Bridge by the London and Croydon Railway in 1839. It was situated in a largely unpopulated area, but was built as part of an agreement with the local landowner. According to Alan Warwick, in The Phoenix Suburb: A South London social history the landowner was asked for the landmark by which the station would be known, he replied: “Mine is the annerly (only) hoose.” The timetable of the day seems to back this up since it says: ‘There is no place of that name.”
