Burford is a little medieval community on the River Windrush, in the Cotswold hillsides, in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England. It is commonly described as the 'portal' to the Cotswolds. Burford lies 18 miles (29 kilometres) west of Oxford and also 22 miles (35 kilometres) southeast of Cheltenham, about 2 miles (3 km) from the Gloucestershire boundary. The toponym derives from the Old English words burh implying fortified town 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 town centre's most noteworthy building is the Church of St John the Baptist, a Church of England parish church, which is a Grade I detailed structure. Described by David Verey as "a challenging building which has actually created in a curious way 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 discolored glass. In 1649 the church was used as a prison during the Civil War, when the New Model Army Banbury mutineers were held there. A few of the 340 detainees left makings as well as graffiti, which still survive in the church. The community centre also has some 15th-century residences and the baroque style condominium that is currently Burford Methodist Church. In between the 14th and also 17th centuries Burford was necessary for its woollen trade. The Tolsey, midway along Burford's High Street, which was once the centerpiece for profession, is now a museum.