Waltham Cross, A Suburban Dormitory Town Within the Borough of Broxbourne in the English County of Hertfordshire
Waltham Cross may be part of the Borough of Broxbourne in the English County of Hertfordshire, but its proximity to London makes it a suburban dormitory town making it a part of the Greater London Urban Area and the Metropolitan Area of London. It is in the southernmost part of Hertfordshire and close to the north of the London Borough of Enfield. Its boundary to the east is the Waltham Abbey, Enfield to the south and Cheshunt to the north. The post towns of Waltham Cross includes Cheshunt and some areas of Enfield to the north such as the Holmesdale Estate.
Food, Shopping and Accommodation in Waltham Cross
There is a pedestrianised High Street in the town centre together with a mixed collection of independent shops, chain stores, and banks. There is also a covered shopping mall as well as the Fishpools Department Store which has been in existence since 1899 and is considered the largest quality furniture store in the South East. On Wednesdays and Fridays general markets are held in the town centre including an intermittent French and farmers’ market.
A street sign holder supporting four sculpted swans, a replica of the original signage of the public house called Four Swans, spans the High Street. The Lowewood Museum in Hoddesdon is the repository of the original signage.
Things to See and Do in Waltham Cross
Boat tours and watersports are the most popular things to do in this town, at the Lee Valley White Water Centre. In Waltham Abbey, there are more things to see and do such as the Waltham Abbey Gardens, Royal Gunpowder Mills, and the Lee Valley Park Farms.
One of the three remaining Eleanor crosses can be found at the centre of Waltham Cross. The Cross is a medieval monument marking the place where the coffin of the wife of King Edward I, Eleanor of Castile, was put to rest for a night on its processional sojourn from Lincoln to Westminster Abbey in 1290.