BURFORD
Burford is a picturesque town located in the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire, England. Its history dates back to the Saxon period, with its name originating from the Old English “burh” (fortified town) and “ford” (river crossing). Positioned along the River Windrush, Burford was an important strategic location, acting as a crossing point for ancient trade routes.
In the 12th century, Burford grew in prominence due to its thriving wool trade, which made it a wealthy and bustling market town. The town’s medieval prosperity is still reflected today in its beautiful stone buildings and charming streets, with many structures, including St. John the Baptist Church, dating back to this period.
This church, one of the grandest in the Cotswolds, is a testament to the town’s rich history and the affluence brought by the wool industry.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Burford played a significant role when a group of mutinous soldiers from the Levellers, who opposed Parliament’s control, were imprisoned in the town’s church and later executed in the churchyard on the orders of Oliver Cromwell.
Today, Burford is often referred to as the “Gateway to the Cotswolds” due to its position at the edge of this picturesque region. Its rich history, combined with its well-preserved medieval architecture, makes it a popular destination for tourists, offering a glimpse into both its ancient past and its continuing charm as a Cotswold gem.
My Cotswold Tours which include Burford: Central and South Cotswold Tours North Cotswolds Tour
A 2020 article in Country Life magazine summarized the community’s recent history:
“Burford, similarly, had bustled during the coaching era, but coaching inns such as Ramping Cat and the Bull were diminished or closed when the railways came. Agriculture remained old-fashioned, if not Biblical, and was badly affected by the long agricultural depression that started in the 1870s. The local dialect was so thick that, in the 1890s, Gibbs had to publish a glossary to explain George Ridler’s Oven, one of the folk songs he collected. In the late 19th century, the Cotswolds assumed a Sleeping Beauty charm, akin to that of Burne-Jones’s Legend of the Briar Rose at Buscot Park in the Thames Valley.”
