Penge Common was an area of north east

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

and north west

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

which now forms part of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

; covering most of

Penge Penge () is a suburb of South East London, England, now in the London Borough of Bromley, west of Bromley, north east of Croydon and south east of Charing Cross. History Penge was once a small hamlet, which was recorded under the name Pence ...

, all of

Anerley Anerley () is an area of south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is located south south-east of Charing Cross, to the south of Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, west of Penge, north of Elmers End and South Norwood ...

, and parts of surrounding suburbs including

South Norwood South Norwood is a district of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, Greater London and formerly in the historic county of Surrey. It is located 7.8 miles (12.5 km) south-east of Charing Cross, north of Wood ...

. It abutted the

Great North Wood The Great North Wood was a natural oak woodland that started south-east of central London and scaled the Norwood Ridge. At its full extent, the wood's boundaries stretched almost as far as Croydon and as far north as Camberwell. It had occa ...

and

John Rocque John Rocque (originally Jean; c. 1704–1762) was a French-born British surveyor and cartographer, best known for his detailed map of London published in 1746. Life and career Rocque was born in France in about 1704, one of four children of a ...

's 1745 map of London and its environs showed that Penge Common now included part of that wood. An area named Penge Place was excised from the northernmost part of Penge Common and was later used for the relocation of

The Crystal Palace The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibit ...

. It included parts of the

which later became

Crystal Palace Park Crystal Palace Park is a Victorian pleasure ground located in the South London suburb of Crystal Palace which surrounds the site of the former Crystal Palace Exhibition building. The Palace had been relocated from Hyde Park, London after the 18 ...

. The London and

Croydon Canal The Croydon Canal ran from Croydon, via Forest Hill, to the Grand Surrey Canal at New Cross in south London, England. It opened in 1809 and closed in 1836, the first canal to be abandoned by an Act of Parliament. History Authorised by an Act ...

was built across Penge Common along what is now the line of the railway through

Penge West railway station Penge West railway station is located in Penge, a district of the London Borough of Bromley in south London. The station is operated by London Overground, with Overground and Southern trains serving the station. Thameslink and some Southern se ...

, deviating to the south before

Anerley railway station Anerley railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. The station is operated by London Overground, with Overground and Southern trains serving the station. It is down the line from , in Travelcard Zone 4. The main bui ...

. There is a remnant at the northern corner of Betts Park,

. Following the closure of the London and

, The

London and Croydon Railway The London and Croydon Railway (L&CR) was an early railway in England. It opened in 1839 and in February 1846 merged with other railways to form the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR). Origins The Croydon line and other railways Th ...

, initially an

atmospheric railway An atmospheric railway uses differential air pressure to provide power for propulsion of a railway vehicle. A static power source can transmit motive power to the vehicle in this way, avoiding the necessity of carrying mobile power generating eq ...

was built largely along the same course, opening in 1839. The Croydon Enclosure Act of 1797 and the Penge Enclosure Acts in 1805, 1806, and 1827 resulted in most of the remaining Common and Penge Green being subdivided. One of the first new houses was named "Annerley" which gave its name to the

area; the name means 'lonely' or 'only' in Scots."Anerly adv., adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 3 Sep 2022 Remnants of Penge Common that survive as public open spaces include

Penge Recreation Ground Penge () is a suburb of South East London, England, now in the London Borough of Bromley, west of Bromley, north east of Croydon and south east of Charing Cross. History Penge was once a small hamlet, which was recorded under the name Pence ...

and

Betts Park Betts Park (also known as King George's Field) is a public park in Penge, London Borough of Bromley, in London, England. It is approximately 13 acres (5 hectares) and has a number of attractions, including part of the old Croydon Canal. It was ...

in Anerley.

References

External links

Penge Common Enclosure, National Archives

Penge Heritage Trail

Penge Green Gym
Crystal Palace, London History of the London Borough of Bromley History of the London Borough of Croydon {{London-geo-stub