Burford
Burford is a tiny medieval community on the River Windrush, in the Cotswold hills, in the West Oxfordshire area of Oxfordshire, England. It is typically described as the 'entrance' to the Cotswolds. Burford lies 18 miles (29 km) west of Oxford as well as 22 miles (35 kilometres) southeast of Cheltenham, about 2 miles (3 km) from the Gloucestershire boundary. The toponym originates from the Old English words burh meaning fortified town or hilltown and also 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 noteworthy building is the Church of St John the Baptist, a Church of England parish church, which is a Grade I listed structure. Explained by David Verey as "a complicated building which has actually established in a curious method from the Norman", it is known for its sellers' guild chapel, memorial to Henry VIII's barber-surgeon, Edmund Harman, featuring South American Indians and also Kempe tarnished glass. In 1649 the church was made use of as a jail during the Civil War, when the New Model Army Banbury mutineers were held there. A few of the 340 detainees left carvings as well as graffiti, which still make it through in the church. The community centre additionally has some 15th-century houses and also the baroque design condominium that is currently Burford Methodist Church. In between the 14th and also 17th centuries Burford was very important for its woollen profession. The Tolsey, midway along Burford's High Street, which was once the focal point for trade, is currently a museum.
