Place Name
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.”
