Burford
Burford is a small medieval town on the River Windrush, in the Cotswold hillsides, in the West Oxfordshire area of Oxfordshire, England. It is often described as the 'gateway' to the Cotswolds. Burford lies 18 miles (29 kilometres) west of Oxford and 22 miles (35 kilometres) southeast of Cheltenham, regarding 2 miles (3 km) from the Gloucestershire border. The toponym derives from the Old English words burh suggesting prepared community or hilltown and ford, the crossing of a river. The 2011 Census recorded the population of Burford parish as 1,410 and Burford Ward as 1,847. The community centre's most significant structure is the Church of St John the Baptist, a Church of England parish church, which is a Quality I listed structure. Explained by David Verey as "a challenging structure which has created in a curious method from the Norman", it is recognized for its vendors' guild chapel, memorial to Henry VIII's barber-surgeon, Edmund Harman, including South American Indians as well as Kempe stained glass. In 1649 the church was used as a prison throughout the Civil War, when the New Model Army Banbury mutineers were held there. Several of the 340 detainees left carvings as well as graffiti, which still survive in the church. The town centre additionally has some 15th-century residences and also the baroque style townhouse that is now Burford Methodist Church. Between the 14th as well as 17th centuries Burford was necessary for its woollen trade. The Tolsey, midway along Burford's High Street, which was once the prime focus for profession, is currently a museum.
