A Roman road once ran here. This is Tottenham High Cross. It stands proudly though not quite as proudly as it once did. Erected between 1600 and 1609 by Owen Wood a local resident and later Dean of Armagh this tower marks the heart of what was Tottenham Village. It replaced a wooden wayside cross first mentioned in 1409. The area became known as High Cross before later urban expansion. It sits on Ermine Street an old Roman road leading from London to York. The name Ermine Street isn’t about fur. It’s a corruption of Earninga Stræt named after a tribe.
The High Cross wasn’t always marooned in its current location. Originally it stood away from the road. Post-war changes saw roads rebuilt and the Cross surrounded by pavement. It lost some impact. It used to have a Christian cross. This was replaced with a wind vane. A secular change.
In 1952 newspapers warned of the Cross tilting. Local authorities acted quickly. They saved the monument. The leaning tower of Tottenham was saved. Later road works in the 1970s and 2011 further altered its surroundings. The Cross remains a testament to history.
The High Cross is more than just a stone tower. It witnessed significant events. Bathsua Makin a woman heralded as the most learned woman in England set up a school for girls here. She advocated for women’s education centuries before it was common. The National Unemployed Workers Movement also had a presence near the High Cross. Margaret Mitchell a founder fought for the rights of the unemployed. She participated in demonstrations and hunger marches. She even fought fascists at the Battle of Cable Street.
The Swan a nearby pub a landmark for centuries also played its part. It was a meeting place for bus workers. The Number 73 bus route terminated there. The pub closed in 2008. Izaak Walton the author of The Compleat Angler visited the pub. He fished in the nearby River Lea.
Even a skeleton horse has a place in Tottenham High Cross’s story. A farrier’s shop once stood nearby. A horse’s skeleton became an unusual advertisement for the vet. The bones now largely gone represent a quirky tale of Tottenham’s past. This is Tottenham High Cross a place with layers of history. It deserves to be remembered.