This area is made up of the neighbourhoods of Crystal Palace and Anerley, and is situated in the London Borough of Bromley. The neighbourhood has beautiful Crystal Palace Park to its north, which offers many entertainment options including dinosaur statues and a hedge maze, Penge Recreation Ground to its south, for sporting events and practice, and quaint Betts Park for relaxing and walking. The amount of green spaces surrounding the neighbourhood, plus the tree lined streets, make residents feel like they are in a village far away from the hustle and bustle of city-centre London; however, in reality, with the two Southern railway line stations and two Overground stations, residents are only a 15 minute ride away from central London.

The neighbourhood was a wild and uninhabited part of Penge Common until the Croydon canal wound its way through in 1809. William Sanderson, a Scottish silk manufacturer, bought a large tract of land and built himself a house that he called Anerley, which in a northern English and Scottish dialect means ‘solitary’, since his was the only house in the area. It is said that when the canal closed, the London and Croydon Railway Company sought to lay its tracks across Sanderson’s land, he agreed to sell them the rights as long as they put a station near his house for his own use in travelling into London. Anerley station opened in 1839, ultimately giving its name to the area, and the neighbourhood we know today.

Did you know that in the original Sherlock Holmes short story? The Adventure of the Norwood Builder, Sherlock Holmes’s client John Hector McFarlane spent a night at the Anerley Arms, a pub that is still up and running in this neighbourhood. The next morning in the pub, he discovers that he is wanted for murder.

A number of the houses and apartment buildings do not have great curb appeal and could be described as a little drab. This is also true of the neighbourhood’s High Street; however, this is what contributes to lower home prices in the neighbourhood and the surrounding area, especially with its ample green spaces, which are very attractive.

The neighbourhood has been designated as a renewal area by the Bromley Council’s Local Plan. They are accepting proposals for development ideas that will provide economic, social, and environmental benefits. A large part of this will be the Blenheim Square development which aims to replace the dilapidated Blenheim shopping centre with multiple new tower blocks up to 18 storeys high. However, some are worried about these plans sanitising the neighbourhood, with one resident stating “It’s out of proportion and out of character. It’s too much for Penge.” In contrast to these proposals, active development remains small-scale with two low density residential projects planned slightly west of this postcode.