Tour and Explore the Cotswold market town of Burford, Oxfordshire.

Hello and welcome to my latest video - Tour and Explore the Cotswold Town of Burford.
The historic medieval market town of Burford in Oxfordshire is the eastern gateway to the Cotswolds. The picturesque town is a popular tourist destination. It has specialist shops, varied architecture, a museum as well as cosy cafés, pubs and restaurants.
The size and architecture of Burford church is impressive. The lower half of the tower and the west wall and doorway were built around 1170 in Norman times. The church was extended in stages until the spire was added in 1475, which was when the major construction work was finally completed. It is a testament to the wealth and importance of the merchants of the town in the Middle Ages.
The church has been given a 5-star rating by Simon Jenkins in his book England’s 1,000 Best Churches. Inside you will discover chapels containing memorials to some of Burford’s richest citizens, an old turret clock dating back to 1685, a font that has the name of Anthony Sedley scratched on it, and many more interesting gems.
The towns’ location as a crossing point over the River Windrush made it an important route for pilgrims, drovers, merchants, travellers and even Kings and Queens have passed through or even stayed in Burford.
I'm Anne Bartlett, a qualified Blue Badge Tour Guide, I hope you enjoy this virtual guided walk around the town. There are other Tour and Explore videos to watch and more to be published so do click subscribe so that you are kept informed of other videos as soon as they are uploaded.
My website is: www.tourandexplore.com
#guidedwalks #cotswoldsromanticroad #guidedcoachtours

[@chuckandtom1]

I visited Burford on my first trip to England in 1993. Thirty years later my memories of that charming, beautiful village are as clear as if it were yesterday. I stayed at the Golden Pheasant, visited the church, and heard the organist play while he practiced. Lovely town, lovely people!

[@elainebezuidenhout162]

Love your videos thank you😀 would love to see more.

[@AnneBartlett]

👍Thank you Elaine. Another video will be published soon.

[@catherinerobinson5227]

Yay! Another video from Anne!! Always a joy to watch. Thank you for this brilliant content.

[@AnneBartlett]

Thank you Catherine. I’m so glad you enjoyed the video about Burford. It’s a beautiful town with a lot of character.

[@jrjubach]

Interesting. My curiosity is, I am surprised the streets are as wide as they are. You would have thought, if this layout was decided in medieval times, that the streets would be rather narrow, but I see many that are quite wide, even by today's standards. Thanks, - Jeff

[@AnneBartlett]

Hi Jeff Thank you very much for your comment. I'm no expert, but I've discovered that Burford was granted one of the earliest market charters in the country during the late 11th or early 12th century by Robert Fitzhamon Earl of Gloucester, a relation of William the Conqueror. Around that time Burford, was carefully planned and burgage plots were allocated for homes and workplaces to be built fronting onto the market place. The High Street was left wide to allow for temporary stalls to be set up along the middle of the street allowing people and carts to pass either side during its weekly market and annual fairs. The local burgesses were quick to take advantage of the commercial opportunities that came their way. Burford’s market and location on the packhorse route to and from coastal ports made it an important and wealthy medieval town.

[@jrjubach]

@@AnneBartlett Ohh that makes sense! The story of High Street is definitely the answer. Thanks for the response! Cheers.