Tottenham

History

Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book. 'Tota's hamlet', it is thought, developed into 'Tottenham'. The settlement was recorded in the Domesday Book as Toteham, in the ancient hundred of Edmonton. It is not related to Tottenham Court Road in Central London, though the two names share a similar-sounding root. There has been a settlement at Tottenham for over a thousand years. It grew up along the old Roman road, Ermine Street (some of which is part of the present A10 road), and between High Cross and Tottenham Hale, the present Monument Way. When the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086, about 70 families lived within the area of the manor, mostly labourers working for the lord of the manor. A humorous poem entitled the Tournament of Tottenham, written around 1400, describes a mock battle between peasants vying for the reeve's daughter. The River Lea (or Lee) was the eastern boundary between the Municipal Boroughs of Tottenham and Walthamstow. It is the ancient boundary between Middlesex and Essex and also formed the western boundary of the Viking controlled Danelaw. Today it is the boundary between the London Boroughs of Haringey and Waltham Forest. A major tributary of the Lea, the River Moselle, also crosses the borough from west to east, and often caused serious flooding until it was mostly covered in the 19th century. From the Tudor period 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. The area became noted for its large Quaker population and its schools (including…

Geography

Tottenham's elevation is approximately above sea level. Because of Tottenham's long history as a borough, the Tottenham name is used by some to this day to describe the whole of the area formerly covered by the old borough, incorporating the N17 postcode area and part of N15. However, there are differing views as to what constitutes the Tottenham neighbourhood in the present day. Many think of Tottenham today as most of the area covered by the N17 post code, sometimes using the phrase 'Tottenham Proper' to describe it and to distinguish it from the other parts of the old borough. *North: This area stretches along Tottenham High Road from the Edmonton border in the north to Lordship Lane in the south: districts include Little Russia and Northumberland Park. *Central: Continuing along the high road, the central area includes Tottenham Hale, as well as Tottenham Hale station and retail park. *West: To the west of the area are Broadwater Farm and the Tower Gardens Estate. *South: Further along the A10 road until St Ann's Road, including South Tottenham and Seven Sisters. *Edmonton *Harringay *Noel Park *Palmers Green *St Ann's *Tottenham Hale *Walthamstow *West Green *Wood Green *South Tottenham

Most-observed species

• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  57,482
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  55,866
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  54,665
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  52,357
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  49,427
• Rose-ringed Parakeet

  Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) · Aves
  46,557
• Eurasian Coot

  Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  42,465
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  42,014

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2020-09-22
  5 km N of Aylesbury, United Kingdom
• M 3.9 — 2020-09-08
  2 km WSW of Pitstone, United Kingdom
• M 3.3 — 2019-02-27
  3 km SE of Dorking, United Kingdom
• M 2.8 — 2018-07-05
  1 km S of Ewhurst, United Kingdom
• M 2.6 — 2018-06-27
  5 km W of Capel, United Kingdom
• M 2.7 — 2018-04-01
  4 km E of Holmwood, United Kingdom