Burford
Burford is a tiny middle ages community on the River Windrush, in the Cotswold hillsides, in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England. It is typically described as the 'portal' to the Cotswolds. Burford is located 18 miles (29 km) west of Oxford and 22 miles (35 km) southeast of Cheltenham, about 2 miles (3 km) from the Gloucestershire border. The toponym derives from the Old English words burh meaning fortified town or hilltown as well as 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 remarkable structure is the Church of St John the Baptist, a Church of England parish church, which is a Grade I provided structure. Explained by David Verey as "a difficult structure which has established in a curious method from the Norman", it is recognized for its sellers' guild chapel, memorial to Henry VIII's barber-surgeon, Edmund Harman, including South American Indians and 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. A few of the 340 prisoners left carvings and also graffiti, which still make it through in the church. The town centre also has some 15th-century houses and the baroque style townhouse that is currently Burford Methodist Church. Between the 14th and 17th centuries Burford was important for its wool trade. The Tolsey, midway along Burford's High Street, which was once the prime focus for profession, is currently a gallery.