Burford

Burford, sometimes regarded as the gateway to Cotswolds, lies on the river Windrush, 22 miles to the south east of Cheltenham. The name Burford is said to mean the settlement/fort by the ford, and the easy crossing of the River Windrush made it ideal for the original Anglo-Saxon settlers.

Burford flourished during the Elizabethan times when sheep grazing on the Cotswold pastures brought wealth to their owners from the wool revenues. The 'Tolsey' in the broad High street, which is steeply sloping down to the river lined with old houses and cottages, is one of the reminders of that era. Now a museum, it was once a place where wealthy wool merchants held their meetings and collected tolls.

One of the places to visit in Burford is the Church of St. John the Baptist. With its slender steeple it is another sign of Burford’s medieval wealth. The central part of the Tower and west doorway are Norman whilst most of the church dates from around the 15th century.

In 1649 a group of 800 soldiers in Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentary Army mutinied at Salisbury, protesting over the conditions of their service. They travelled north, hoping to meet up with other groups, and spent the night of May 14 at Burford. Cromwell caught up with them and captured 340 of the mutinied Levellers. They were locked up in the church in Burford. On the following day three ringleaders were shot in the churchyard, and a fourth was made to preach a sermon. The graffiti "Anthony Sedley 1649 Prisner" scratched by one of the prisoners is still to be seen inside the church as well as the bullet holes of the three executed men. To this day Levellers’ Day is celebrated each May in Burford by an open air event with speakers, musicians and other performers present.

Burford can offer visitors many more attractions one of which is the Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens where visitors can see varied collection of mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates as well as plants from all over the world. It is set in 160 acres of parkland and gardens around a listed Victorian Manor House which you can explore by foot or on a model train.