| | |
| Ordnance Survey | |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference: | Maps for TQ335905 |
| Administration | |
| London borough: | Haringey |
| Area: | Greater London |
| Region: | London |
| Nation: | England |
| Other | |
| Ceremonial county: | Greater London |
| Traditional county: | Middlesex |
| Police force: | Metropolitan Police |
| Post office and telephone | |
| Post town: | LONDON |
| Postcode: | N15, N17 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Politics | |
| UK Parliament: | |
| London Assembly: | Enfield and Haringey |
| European Parliament: | London |
| [image] | |
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Tottenham is a place in the London Borough of Haringey. It is a suburban development situated 6.6 miles (10.6 km) north north-east of Charing Cross.
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 . 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 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, it´s 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.