BURFORD

Nestled in the Windrush Valley…

Burford is one of the most quintessential towns in the Cotswolds, a must for any traveller. It boasts a beautiful medieval highstreet of ecclectic buildings and local businesses, a beautiful church, and some wonderful walks in the surrounding countryside.

Burford Church

The Lamb Inn

The Bull, Burford

Burford Garden Company

The Bay Tree Hotel

Burford Tolsey Museum

A History of Burford

There was an Anglo Saxon settlement here, close to the river crossing, or ford across the Windrush, and gathered around its church, almost certainly an Anglo Saxon minster where the wonderful church of St John the Baptist now stands.

But what makes Burford particularly special is the large number of surviving, or part surviving, late medieval houses. Mostly of stone, but also with a surprising amount of timber framing.

It would be a mistake to think that the village has remained unchanged for all that time. A great deal of maintenance, renewal, refurbishment and embellishment has taken place over the years, but the town’s fluctuating fortunes has meant very little demolition and re-building. The result is one of the most perfect medieval high streets in existence.

It won’t surprise you to hear that its initial wealth was derived from the wool trade. Burford was one of the major raw wool markets in the Cotswolds, where sheep had been grazed in huge numbers since the arrival of the Normans. One of the very earliest merchant’s guilds was established here, in about 1100, and a weekly market was granted some time between 1088 and 1107.

One of the very earliest merchant’s guilds was established here, in about 1100, and a weekly market was granted some time between 1088 and 1107.

In 1323 an annual fair was started and held once each year until 1497 when a second annual fair was granted.

There was no Lord of the Manor so Burford was released from the feudal system, giving the citizens special rights. The place was run by a guild, consisting of an alderman and 10 burgesses, two of whom were elected bailiffs.

After years of documenting our exploration of Cotswold hotspots like Bourton on the Water, Burford and Broadway, we realised that many more beautiful villages were hidden amongst the valleys and vales of the Cotswolds.

These villages were just as beautiful as their widely popular tourist counterparts, but almost completely unheard of – so we decided to tell their story and explore the history, heritage and culture behind them. The result, our series Hidden Gems – exploring tiny medieval churches, ruined abbeys, historical artefacts and tales of a bygone era.

Starting in 2021, the series travels from the forgotten villages of Stanton and Stanway in the north, right down to the likes of Chedworth and Ablington, and includes many places hidden in plain sight, too.

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We knew we were capturing the very special atmosphere of a Cotswold village content in its structure and almost certainly feeling very much like it did 900 years ago. A comfortable collection of 17th to 20th century houses and barns, on both sides of the Dunt stream, all exuding peace and contentment in this sunny May weather.

There is another nucleus at Lower End, in a South East direction where Danglingworth Manor, an early-mid 17th century house, which has been much altered and extended over the years, has a very splendid 15th century dovecote in the gardens, which is probably the last sign of a colony of nuns from Godstow who had a cell here and which was patron of the living. The Dovecote is extremely well preserved.