Burford is a tiny middle ages community on the River Windrush, in the Cotswold hills, in the West Oxfordshire area of Oxfordshire, England. It is often referred to as the 'gateway' to the Cotswolds. Burford lies 18 miles (29 km) west of Oxford as well as 22 miles (35 km) southeast of Cheltenham, about 2 miles (3 km) from the Gloucestershire limit. The toponym originates from the Old English words burh meaning fortified community or hilltown and ford, the going across of a river. The 2011 Census recorded the population of Burford parish as 1,410 and also Burford Ward as 1,847. The town centre's most significant building is the Church of St John the Baptist, a Church of England parish church, which is a Grade I provided building. Described by David Verey as "a difficult building which has established in an interested way from the Norman", it is known for its vendors' guild church, memorial to Henry VIII's barber-surgeon, Edmund Harman, including South American Indians as well as Kempe tarnished glass. In 1649 the church was made use of as a prison throughout the Civil War, when the New Model Army Banbury mutineers were held there. Some of the 340 prisoners left makings as well as graffiti, which still survive in the church. The town centre likewise has some 15th-century houses as well as the baroque design townhouse that is currently Burford Methodist Church. In between the 14th and 17th centuries Burford was essential for its wool profession. The Tolsey, midway along Burford's High Street, which was as soon as the focal point for trade, is currently a gallery.