Tottenham: Encyclopedia II - Tottenham - History

Tottenham - History

There has been a settlement at Tottenham, Middlesex for over a thousand years. It grew up along the old Roman Road, Ermine Street, today´s A10 road and between High Cross and Tottenham Hale, today's Monument Way.

Toteham as it was then known was mentioned in the Domesday Book. At that time, 1086 around 70 families lived within the manor, mostly labourers working for the Lord of the Manor. In 1894 Tottenham was created an urban district and on 27th September 1934 it became a municipal borough. As from 1st April 1965 the municipal borough formed part of the London Borough of Haringey.

The River Lea formed the eastern boundary of the Municipal Borough of Tottenham with the Municipal Borough of Walthamstow. It was the ancient boundary of Middlesex with Essex and the boundary of Danelaw. Today it forms the boundary between the London Borough Haringey and the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

From the Tudor times onwards Tottenham became a popular recreation and leisure destination for wealthy Londoners. Henry VIII is known to have visited Bruce Castle and also hunted in Tottenham Wood. A rural Tottenham also featured in Izaak Walton's book The Compleat Angler published in 1653 [1]. Tottenham remained a semi-rural and upper middle class area until the 1870s. The Great Eastern Railway introduced special workman's trains and fares on its newly opened Enfield and Chingford branch lines. Tottenham's market gardens and low-lying fields were then rapidly transformed into cheap housing for the lower-middle and working classes, who were able to commute cheaply to inner London. This fare policy stimulated the relatively early development of the area into a London suburb.

An incident occurred on 23rd January 1909, which was at the time known as the Tottenham Outrage. Two armed robbers of Russian descent held-up the wages clerk of a Rubber Works in Chesnut Rd. They made their getaway via Tottenham Hale and at the Ferry Boat Inn hijacked a Walthamstow Corporation Tramcar, hotly pursued by the police on another tram. The hijacked tram was stopped but the robbers continued their flight on foot. Being eventually cornered by the police, they shot themselves to evade capture. Four people including a boy of ten were killed (shot dead) and fourteen were wounded during the chase. The incident was later the subject of a Silent Film.

During the Second World War, Tottenham also became a target of the German Air Offensive against Britain. Bombs fell within the Borough (Elmar Rd) during the first air raid on London on 24th August 1940. The Borough also received V1 (4 Incidents) and V2 hits, the last of which occurred on 15th March 1945. Wartime shortages also led to the creation of Tottenham Pie, a mixture of household waste food which was converted into feeding stuffs for pigs and poultry. The "pie" was named by Queen Mary on a visit to Tottenham Refuse Works. Production continued into the Post-war period, its demise came with the merging of the Borough into the new London Borough of Haringey.

In 1985, the Broadwater Farm housing estate in Tottenham was the scene of rioting between the police and local youths following the death of Cynthia Jarrett, a resident of the estate who died of heart failure after four policemen burst into her home. One police officer - PC Keith Blakelock - was stabbed in the neck during the riots and later died in hospital. 58 policemen and 24 other people were injured in the fighting. Two of the policemen were injured by gunshots, the riots marking the first time that firearms had been used in that type of confrontation.

Tottenham - Sites or buildings of historical interest

• All Hallows Church - Tottenham Parish Church which dates back to Norman times and was for more than 700 years the only church in Tottenham. Presented in 1801 with a bell from the Quebec Garrison which was captured from the french in the battle of Quebec, Montreal, Canada.
• Broadwater Farm Estate - Housing estate built in 1967, that was the site of the Broadwater Farm riot in 1985.
• Bruce Castle - Now a Local History Museum, was Tottenham's Manor House, named after the father of the Lord of the Manor. It was purchased by Sir Rowland Hill and he was living here when he as Postmaster General introduced the Penny postage in 1840. [2]
• Harringay Arena and Stadium (Now Demolished)- Built on the site of a nineteenth century Pottery and Kiln. The Stadium was opened in 1927 and was Londons first greyhound racing track. The Arena opened in 1936.
• LCC Estate - Construction of this "out of County" LCC cottage housing estate began in 1914. The style of the housing is said to be inspired by houses in Ghent,Belgium. The estate was the home of Harry Champion (Great Cambridge Road), a well known Music Hall star and composer of the song Boiled Beef and Carrotts.
• Markfield Beam Engine
• High Cross - Erected sometime between 1600-1609 on the site of an earlier Christian cross, although there is some speculation that the first structure on the site was a Roman Beacon or Marker, situated on low summit on Ermine Street. Tottenham High Cross is often mistakenly thought to be an Eleanor cross.
• St Ann's Church - Consecrated in 1861, St Ann's church houses the organ on which Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy composed the famous Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream .
• St Ignatius Church - Built between 1894 and 1902, with two towers in the style of a 12th Century German cathedral. Situated at the foot of Stamford Hill, this Catholic Church dominates the area.

Tottenham - History of the railways of Tottenham

• Northern and Eastern Railway - Running from Stratford to Broxbourne was opened 15th September 1840 with two stations in the district called Tottenham & Marsh Lane.
• Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway - Opened 21st July 1868. South Tottenham was opened in 1871, two other stations on this line within Tottenham were opened later. Harringay Park (Green Lanes) opened in 1880 and St Anns Rd opened in 1882 closing after service on 8th August 1942.
• Stoke Newington & Edmonton Railway - The section between Stoke Newington and Lower Edmonton opened July 22, 1872 with stations at Stamford Hill (half of the station lies in the Borough), Seven Sisters, Bruce Grove, and White Hart Lane in Tottenham.
• Palace Gates Line - Opened within Tottenham on 1 January 1878 with stations at Seven Sisters and West Green. Passenger services ceased in 1963 with the line finally closing on 7 February 1965.
• Tottenham & Forest Gate Railway- Opened 9th July 1894.
• London Underground Piccadilly Line - Extended through Tottenham in 1932.
• London Underground Victoria Line - Opened on 1 September 1968.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "History", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki