Burford is often referred to as the Gateway to the Cotswolds and the bustling old town makes a good introduction to this famous area of English countryside.

Here, in AD 685, there was a synod to decide the date of Easter, and it was near here in AD 752 that the Mercians were defeated by the Saxons. Royalty often visited Burford because of its proximity to the Royal Chase at Wychwood, and it was a great wool town from the 14th to the 17th century.

The spine of Burford is its steeply sloping High Street, lined with beautiful houses dating from the 15th century onwards. Towards the middle is the Tolsey, which was once used for collecting tolls, but is now a town museum.

The Priory became a private house at the Dissolution and was rebuilt in 1808, at half its original size, but retaining its Elizabethan characteristics. William Lenthall, speaker of the Long Parliament, lived there.

The church, on the banks of the River Windrush, is one of the finest parish churches in Oxfordshire. It retains its Norman central tower and west doorway with original 13th-century doors, but was considerably rebuilt in the Early English period and again 200 years later.

There are still bullet marks in the stonework of the church where Oliver Cromwell is said to have shot three of the Levellers. Levellers Day celebrations are held every year in May at Warwick Hall, near Burford Church.

Visitors to the town will also find some particularly good antiques shops.

Places To Go

Cotswold Heritage Centre: Northleach. Display of rural life in the Cotswolds. Call 01451 860715 or 01285 655611.
Cotswold Farm Park: Guiting Power, near Stow-on-the-Wold. Comprehensive collection of rare breeds of British farm animals. Open April to October. Call 01451 850307.
Cotswold Wildlife Park: near Burford. Mammals, birds and reptiles from all over the world. Adventure playground, narrow gauge railway, insect house and bat exhibition. Open daily (except Christmas Day). For information call 01993 823006 or visit the website: www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk
Minster Lovell ruins: near Burford. Ruins of 15th-century manor house on banks of the River Windrush.
Tolsey Museum: High Street, Burford. Open daily from the end of March to October. Call 01993 823196.

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