The Four Swans Inn claimed on its sign to date from 1260, and it seems very likely that there was some kind of hostelry in the area when Queen Eleanor's body rested overnight on its journey back to London. However the buildings standing when the above photograph was taken were much more recent, according to the Royal Commission Report of 1911:

Built early in the 17th century, has been much restored and altered; only original detail which remains is the entrance to the courtyard, with a square-headed doorway of original moulded beams, now much defaced.

The inn is not even mentioned in Pevsner's 1953 edition of The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire. This suggests that there were no significant architectural features considered worth preserving when the site was redeveloped in the 1960s.

I am not going to attempt to trace the sites ancient history but will look at the evidence, mainly from trade directories for 100 years from the 1830s, including the period that the Tydeman family were involved. The list on the right lists the known landlords from these sources.  It is not listed in Brewers in Hertfordshire - suggesting it was not tied to any brewery.

It is important to realise the changes that took place in the area in the 19th century. In 1811 there were only 100 houses in the hamlet of Waltham Cross (Environs of London) but it was on a busy main route out of London and there would have been plenty of trade for a good inn and posting house. The coming of the railways would have dried up much of the through traffic and hit business badly, and an old inn, with copious overnight accommodation for  people and horses would have been under-used.  This was followed by a building boom which would have increased the population and hence the need for both public houses and estate agents. There would also be a need for accommodation for people arriving at Waltham Cross Railway Station, and they would want transport (like car hire at modern airports) which is why the sign says "Brakes and Carriages for Hire."

Joseph Tydeman is first recorded in Waltham Cross in 1878 as an auctioneer based at "The Firs". By 1882 he had moved the auctioneer's business to the Four Swans, and in the 1886 directory the business was described as: Auctioneer, valuer, surveyor & estate agent, special valuer to the timber trade, valuations for probate & other purposes, The Four Swans Commercial Hotel.

At some stage Joseph converted the part of the hotel nearest to the Cross to an auctioneer's office, and in later years the hotel and the auctioneer's offices are listed separately. By 1899 Joseph had given up the hotel but was still listed as an auctioneer, but with a more limited entry than in previous years.

Joseph Tydeman's Auctioneer's Office

Compare this detail, from the Charles Vaughan post card with the same building in the later E. Gordon Smith post card. above, which was probably photographed in 1905/6. The shop front of the earlier card has two large notices in the window which could well be auctioneer's sale posters, while the later card shows a typical 1900s style public house front, with a prominent lamp to attract custom on dark evenings.