Burford

Burford is a picturesque town known as the "gateway to the Cotswolds", a predominantly rural landscape with stone-built villages, historical towns and stately homes and gardens.

Understand
Being 18 miles west of Oxford, 2 miles from the Oxfordshire border, and on the southern bank of the River Windrush. the town dates back to the middle Saxon period and is recorded in the Doomsday Book as being an "agricultural village". However, around 1100 the town was granted its charter meaning that today, despite having a population of only 1,400 people (2012), it is classified as a "town".

The decision that the railway be routed through Charlbury undoubtedly affected the town's prosperity but also allowed it to maintain its character.

The town church was instrumental in the formation of Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. In 1874, designer William Morris visited Burford Church and was appalled by the "restoration" works being carried out. Much "restoration" then seemed to involve destroying (or significantly altering) the genuine old features to replace them with "sham" modern imitations. On his visit to Burford Church, he witnessed the ongoing destruction of the medieval wall paintings and was prompted to start the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Not all of the wall paintings were destroyed, and many can still be seen today.

By bus
Buses run between Burford and other local towns:

By road
By car you can reach Burford easily via the A40 from Oxford or Cheltenham directions. Otherwise you can come in from the direction of Stow-on-the-Wold on the A424 which is a beautiful drive.

There is a, and car-parking on the streets as well as at Burford Recreation Ground off Tanners Lane. Be careful, though, as parking in some areas is limited to 2 hours - this is clearly marked. Most of the hotels also have their own car-parking.

By train
There's no station in Burford. Most services stop at Charlbury station whilst slightly closer Shipton has a more limited service. Both stations are on the line to Oxford and Worcester. There are direct trains to London Paddington twice an hour.

Get around
The town is small enough to walk everywhere. The lovely high street has many shops, pubs and tea rooms to spend a pleasant afternoon browsing.

Buy


As with much of the Cotswolds antiques are a big thing in Burford. There are regular Antique fairs which take place at the church and in one of the buildings on the high street. There are also antique shops selling some beautiful things.



Drink
There are a number of good pubs in Burford with pints costing around £2.50 to £3 each.



Go next
Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby

Oxford isn't too far away and is a good next stop if you're leaving the Cotswolds. Swanbrook bus no. 853 runs to Oxford and surrounding towns. Check the schedule as this does not run frequently - especially on Sunday.

If you want to see other attractive villages in the Cotswolds, then Broadway, Chipping Norton, Cirencester, Moreton-in-Marsh and Stow-on-the-Wold could be good places to head to.

Roads are flat and good for cycling.


 * Bourton-on-the-Water 9 miles NW.
 * Stratford-upon-Avon 30 miles N.
 * Witney 8 miles E.
 * Stow-on-the-Wold 10 miles N.
 * Cirencester 18 miles W.