Anerley has never existed as an independent entity, but rather as a general area. Prior to the enclosure and the relocation of the Crystal Palace to Penge Place at the top of Sydenham Hill, Anerley was an unoccupied part of Penge Common, and did not develop until the 19th century. The government Act of 1827 stipulated that a 50 feet (15 metres) wide, new road, was to be set out from Elmers End Road to what is now Church Road, Upper Norwood. In 1827, a Scottish silk manufacturor named William Sanderson bought land on the former Penge Common, he built the first house in the area, which he named "Anerly", a Scottish word meaning "solitary" or "only", and the road subsequently became known as Anerley Road, also giving the name to the surrounding area. William Sanderson's name is the first to appear in the first rate book, dated 18 June 1827, now held in the Anerley Town Hall. Anerley Gardens opened in 1841, and provided entertainment to the growing 19th century leisure industry. With the new medium of rail travel and boasting its own station, Anerley become a desirable social venue. With regular dances, a boating lake, the Anerley Hotel (now the site of the Anerley Arms), Swiss cottage, Maze, or just to enjoy the "tranquil" gardens. The Gardens closed in 1868, from competition from the nearby The Crystal Palace.
The station was opened originally as Annerley 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. The landowner was William Sanderson (see above) and, when asked for the landmark by which the station would be known, he replied "Mine is the annerly hoose". The timetable of the day seems to back this up since it says "There is no place of that name". The London and Croydon Railway amalgamated with the London & Brighton Railway to form the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway in July 1846, and the station was rebuilt during the widening of the main line during 1849/50. During the Grouping of 1923 the station became part of the Southern Railway, and then passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. When Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Network SouthEast until the Privatisation of British Railways. Anerley formed part of the new southward extension to the East London Line that opened on 23 May 2010, making Anerley part of the London Overground network. The station is in Travelcard Zone 4 and has wi-fi, help points, boarding ramps, a bridge, and a waiting room but no toilets.
Connections: National Rail. London Buses routes 157, 249, 358 and 432 and night route N3 serve the station.
