The A1010 is a road running through

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

from

Bruce Grove Bruce Grove is a ward in Tottenham, enclosed by Lordship Recreation Ground, Lordship Lane, Philip Lane, and the High Road. The population of the ward at the 2011 Census was 14,483. Nearby Bruce Castle was named after Robert the Bruce. When ...

Tottenham Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...

Waltham Cross Waltham Cross is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, located north of central London. In the south-eastern corner of Hertfordshire, it borders Cheshunt to the north, Waltham Abbey to the east, and Enfield to the sout ...

. It also used to continue north through

Cheshunt Cheshunt (/ˈtʃɛzənt/ CHEZ-ənt) is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, situated within the London commuter belt approximately north of Central London. The town lies on the River Lea and Lee Navigation, bordering th ...

Turnford Turnford is a village in the Borough of Broxbourne, in Hertfordshire, England, in an area generally known as the Lee Valley. It is bounded by Wormley to the north, Cheshunt to the south and west, and its eastern boundary is formed largely by ...

. The road parallels the A10 Great Cambridge Road to its west.

Route

The southern end of the A1010 is named

Tottenham High Road Tottenham High Road is the main thoroughfare through the district of Tottenham, in the London Borough of Haringey. It runs from Edmonton, London, Edmonton in the North (where it becomes Fore Street) to Stamford Hill in the South (where the road ...

, becoming Fore Street from

Upper Edmonton Upper Edmonton is the southern part of Edmonton, London, Edmonton, North London within the London Borough of Enfield. The main shopping area of Upper Edmonton on Fore Street is often referred to as "The Angel" by locals in reference to the forme ...

to Edmonton Green. For the northern part the name Hertford Road is used, passing through

Ponders End Ponders End is the southeasternmost part of Enfield, London, Enfield, North London, north London, England, around Hertford Road west of the Lee Navigation, River Lee Navigation. It became Industrial suburb, industrialised through the 19th centur ...

, Enfield Highway,

Enfield Wash Enfield Wash is an area in the London Borough of Enfield, North London. It is approximately located in the area either side of Hertford Road between Ordnance Road/Turkey Street and Bell Lane/Hoe Lane. History Enfield Wash was where Elizabeth ...

Freezywater Freezywater is a neighbourhood of the traditional broad definition of Enfield in the London Borough of Enfield, North London. It has a border with Hertfordshire. It is between Bullsmoor to the west, Enfield Lock to the east, Enfield Wash to th ...

and Bullsmoor. At Waltham Cross the old route is the pedestrianised High Street, which the designated A1010 by-passes, terminating at the A121. To the north the historic route to Ware is now designated as the B176 and A1170.

History

The road is part of the historic Hertford Road, a route running north from

Bishopsgate Bishopsgate was one of the eastern gates in London's former defensive wall. The gate's name is traditionally attributed to Earconwald, who was Bishop of London in the 7th century. It was first built in Roman times and marked the beginning o ...

along the western side of the

Lea Valley The Lea Valley (also spelt Lee Valley), the valley of the River Lea, has been used as a transport corridor, a source of sand and gravel, an industrial area, a water supply for London, and a recreational area. The London 2012 Summer Olympics wer ...

, through

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area in the northwest part of the London Borough of Hackney, England. The area is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington (parish), Stoke Newington, the ancient parish. S ...

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

and

Broxbourne Broxbourne is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, England, with a population of 15,303 at the 2011 Census.Broxbourne Town population 2011 It is located to the south of Hoddesdon and to the north of Cheshunt, north of London. ...

Hoddesdon Hoddesdon () is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, lying entirely within the London Metropolitan Area and Greater London Urban Area. The area is on the River Lea and the Lee Navigation along with the New River. Hoddesdon ...

, where it split into

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a Ford (crossing), ford on ...

and

Ware WARE (1250 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to Ware, Massachusetts, United States, the station serves the Springfield radio market. The station is currently owned by Success Signal Broadcasting ...

branches. The southern end of the Hertford Road between London and Tottenham is thought to follow the Roman

Ermine Street Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London (''Londinium'') to Lincoln ('' Lindum Colonia'') and York ('' Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earninga ...

and the northern end takes a more easterly course through Edmonton and Enfield than the built-over Roman northern section. The route from London to Ware was designated in the early 20th century as the southern section of the A10. Large sections were progressively by-passed by dual carriageway. The A1010 was the earliest section to be by-passed, by the Great Cambridge Road (originally designated A108) which runs parallel about to the west. Unlike the new road, which developed as an important centre of the electronics industry, the old road remained generally more commercial and residential in nature.

In popular culture

The route is featured in

William Cowper William Cowper ( ; – 25 April 1800) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th-century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the Engli ...

's 1782 comic ballad ''

The Diverting History of John Gilpin ''The Diverting History of John Gilpin Shewing how he went Farther than he intended, and came safe Home again'' is a comic ballad by William Cowper written in 1782. The ballad concerns a draper called John Gilpin who rides a runaway horse. Cow ...

'', which describes the chaotic progress of the hero along the road from London to Ware and back, failing twice to stop his borrowed horse at his intended destination, the Bell

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

in Edmonton.(Cowper W),''The Poetical works of William Cowper'', London: Frederick Warne and Co, 1892 The

Enfield Highway Enfield Highway is an area in the London Borough of Enfield, north London. It is roughly located in the area either side of Hertford Road (Enfield Highway) between Hoe Lane and The Ride. Etymology Enfield Highway is marked thus on the Ordnance ...

section of the A1010 was used to film the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

TV movie '' Learners''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1-1010 Transport in the London Borough of Enfield Transport in the London Borough of Haringey Streets in the London Borough of Enfield Streets in the London Borough of Haringey