 In the early 20th century, all along the 2¼ miles of the road which Cheshunt and Waltham Cross covered, there were numerous inns and taverns, one or two of which, such as the Four Swans Inn, plied for trade until at least that date from the 17th century, but most of them dated from the 18th century and later.Waltham Cross formed part of Cheshunt Urban District from 1894 to 1974.In April 1974 the town, together with Cheshunt and the Hoddesdon urban district councils, merged to form the Borough of Broxbourne.