Burford
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 commonly described as the 'portal' to the Cotswolds. Burford lies 18 miles (29 kilometres) west of Oxford and 22 miles (35 kilometres) southeast of Cheltenham, regarding 2 miles (3 kilometres) from the Gloucestershire boundary. The toponym originates from the Old English words burh suggesting fortified town or hilltown and also ford, the going across 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 structure is the Church of St John the Baptist, a Church of England parish church, which is a Grade I listed building. Described by David Verey as "a complex structure which has actually created in a curious method from the Norman", it is known for its merchants' guild church, memorial to Henry VIII's barber-surgeon, Edmund Harman, including South American Indians and Kempe tarnished glass. In 1649 the church was made use of as a prison during the Civil War, when the New Model Army Banbury mutineers were held there. Several of the 340 detainees left makings as well as graffiti, which still endure in the church. The town centre likewise has some 15th-century residences and also the baroque design townhouse that is now Burford Methodist Church. Between the 14th and also 17th centuries Burford was essential for its wool trade. The Tolsey, midway along Burford's High Street, which was as soon as the centerpiece for trade, is now a gallery.
