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 often referred to as the 'gateway' to the Cotswolds. Burford is located 18 miles (29 km) west of Oxford as well as 22 miles (35 km) southeast of Cheltenham, about 2 miles (3 kilometres) from the Gloucestershire boundary. The toponym originates from the Old English words burh meaning prepared community 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 town centre's most noteworthy building is the Church of St John the Baptist, a Church of England parish church, which is a Quality I detailed building. Described by David Verey as "a complicated structure which has established in a curious means 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 Kempe discolored 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 prisoners left makings and graffiti, which still survive in the church. The town centre likewise has some 15th-century residences as well as the baroque design townhouse that is currently Burford Methodist Church. In between the 14th as well as 17th centuries Burford was essential for its woollen profession. The Tolsey, midway along Burford's High Street, which was once the focal point for trade, is currently a museum.
