Place Name
Part of the North Circular, London’s inner ring road and named after the nearby town of Walthamstow, the origins of its name are disputed, thought to mean a place where strangers are welcome or possibly a religious house established by Wilcume. It was first noted as Wilcumestowe sometime around 1076 and in 1117 as Welcomestowe. Over time it became Wolcumestowe in 1235, Walcumstowe in 1398 and in 1466 Walthamstowe. Some scholars argue that it in fact is derived from three words weald meaning wood, ham meaning a manor and stow which means a place. The stow was included to distinguish Walthamstow from nearby Waltham Abbey and Waltham Cross.
