Visit Anerley Places

Welcome to Visit Anerley Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Anerley

  

Anerley Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Anerley

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Anerley history

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Origin and development

Anerley has never existed as an independent entity, but rather as a general area . Prior to the enclosure in 1827 and the relocation of the Crystal Palace to Penge Place at the top of Sydenham Hill, the area was unoccupied . 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 .

Canal and railway

The Croydon Canal was opened on 22 October 1809, and passed through Anerley . The canal was a financial failure and lasted only 27 years, being sold to the London and Croyden Railway Company for £40,250 . Much of the former canal was used for the new railway line, with remnants in Betts Park and Dacres Wood, Sydenham . Isambard Kingdom Brunel built an atmospheric railway along this course in 1845 .

Anerley Gardens

Anerley Gardens opened in 1841 and became a desirable social venue . The Gardens closed in 1868 due to competition from nearby Crystal Palace .

1860 onwards

Anerley formed part of the Parish of St Paul’s, forming in 1861 . From the 1860s the residential area developed, grand Victorian houses were built along the road . By the beginning of the 20th century, the area’s heyday was over, with much of the grand Victorian homes being converted into flats .

WWII

During World War II Anerley suffered extensive bomb damage, with five V1 rockets landing; a further six landed in Crystal Palace Park and a total of 23 in the SE20 district . On 18 June 1944 it was reported a V1 Rocket was being chased by a Spitfire, and then shot down by AA gun fire . Two people were killed and the damage to property were three houses destroyed .

You can visit Anerley places with Walkfo Anerley to hear history at Anerley’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Anerley has 151 places to visit in our interactive Anerley map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Anerley, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Anerley places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Anerley & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 151 audio facts unique to Anerley places in an interactive Anerley map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Anerley Places Map
151 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Anerley historic spots	Anerley tourist destinations	Anerley plaques	Anerley geographic features
Walkfo Anerley tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Anerley

  

Best Anerley places to visit

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Anerley has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Anerley’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Anerley’s information audio spots:

South Norwood Country Park South Norwood Country Park is a 47 hectare (116 acre) green space which opened in 1989 . The park is a mix of countryside and parkland, and land formerly used for sewage farms .

Norwood Ridge The Norwood Ridge is a 10-square-mile (26 km) rectangular upland which occupies the geographical centre of south London . Beneath its topsoil it is a ridge of London Clay that is capped on all sides (including as isolated knolls in the north)

Crystal Palace Bowl Crystal Palace Bowl has 60 years of live music heritage and a legacy as an outdoor performance venue stretching back over a century . It has a unique sculptural permanent stage designed by Ian Ritchie Architects, which won multiple awards .

Dulwich Upper Wood Dulwich Upper Wood is a 2.4 hectare local nature reserve and Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade 1, in Crystal Palace . It is owned by Southwark Council and managed by the Trust for Urban Ecology .

Pear Tree House Pear Tree House was the former Civil Defence control centre for South-East London . It is a block of council flats in the Central Hill Estate of Upper Norwood with eight two-bedroom flats .

Forest Hill Pools Forest Hill Pools is a leisure centre in Forest Hill, London . After being closed in 2006, it was rebuilt including two pools and a health and fitness suite . It reopened in September 2012 .

Forest Croft and Taymount Grange Forest Croft and Taymount Grange are two 1930s Art Deco–style mansion blocks situated at the top of Taymount Rise in Forest Hill, London .

Biggin Wood Biggin Wood is an area of ancient oak woodland situated within the London Borough of Croydon . The London Wildlife Trust is currently working to improve the site for wildlife, as a part of The Great North Wood Project .

Wellcome Research Laboratories Wellcome Research Laboratories was a site in Beckenham, south-east London, that was a main research centre for pharmaceuticals . Until 1965, this laboratory site was situated in Kent .

Thurlow Park (ward) Thurlow Park ward is an administrative division of the London Borough of Lambeth . It is located in the constituency of Dulwich and West Norwood .

Visit Anerley plaques