Take a trip to...Burford

The town of Burford is known as the gateway to the Cotswolds, lying almost halfway between Oxford and Cheltenham. More importantly, it’s revered for its breath-taking High Street, lined by ancient buildings.

I met with Peter Higgs, the Mayor of Burford, a ceremonial role that also involves chairing the town council.

‘The lime trees down The Hill [leading into town from the A40] were planted about 150 years ago; so 120 years ago, it would have looked very similar to how it does today,’ Peter says. ‘There are no modern buildings.’

He himself lives in one of those picturesque houses, dating back to the 17th century. ‘We believe it once housed a Quaker school, where a gentleman called Luke Howard was educated. He was the man who named the clouds [with the four Latin names: Cirrus, Cumulus, Stratus, Nimbus].

‘The school was run by a Joseph Huntley, whose son moved to Reading and became the Huntley of Huntley and Palmers, the biscuit manufacturers. A house with lots of history.’

Peter, what makes Burford a top town?

Not only do we have a wonderful High Street; we have 63 shops in the town, of which only one is a chain store – and that’s the Coop! There are some very unusual ones, too, including a brush shop, just selling brushes; and a Gin In A Tin shop – something for everybody. A lot of the shops are hidden up alleyways, so it’s a place where you can have fun investigating. We also have the oldest pharmacy in the world, called Reavley’s [dating back to 1734].

What’s more, there are lots of places to eat and drink. The latest of our eight hotels to be developed is Bull [105 High Street; https://www.bullburford.com/] - very upmarket; very luxurious; and beautifully restored by Matthew Freud, who lives in Burford Priory [Grade 1 listed former priory].

What do you value about living in Burford?

It’s unique! We’re a tourist town but our actual population is about 1,500 so it has a village feel. The community is very strong: we look after our elderly; people care about one another. Everybody knows everybody – and an awful lot of people have lived here all their lives, which is unusual these days. You can’t walk down the High Street without meeting people and chatting. It does take a long time when you go out!

The Burford & District Society organises talks and visits, with probably a few hundred members who meet every month. There are lots of other things going on, too.

What would you recommend for children?

Our primary school has 150 pupils, and our top school 1,200, so we do have young people here.  We are about to install a brand new play park, including zip wire, in the Recreation Ground at the top of The Hill. We have kids’ football – three or four teams playing every weekend. In addition, there are Cubs, Scouts and Guides, and Oxfordshire Army Cadets [‘inspiring young people in the core values of the Army Cadet Corps’].

Just down the road is Cotswold Wildlife Park – a massive area with rhinoceroses, giraffes, snakes, bats: all sorts, and a really good day out. [More than 260 different species of animal, set in 160 acres of landscaped parkland and gardens two miles south of Burford.]

Name the best things to do for free…

We have a Grade 1 listed church [St John the Baptist], where you could easily spend a couple of hours - it’s so interesting, and also incredibly beautiful. And we have the Tolsey Museum, which is ‘donations only’, with a good history of the town.

Best walk in and around Burford?

Along the river by the church.

Which are your favourite town festivals?

Burford Festival runs every two years [June 6-16, 2024], featuring open gardens. Because we’re a medieval town, the layout is unusual. It’s built in ‘burgage plots’: very long and thin, coming out from the back of the High Street and The Hill. Behind the buildings are all these lovely gardens, which are hidden away and nobody ever sees: a lot are walled. The open gardens are very well attended - we normally get about 1,200 people going round at the weekend.

The festival also puts on lots of talks, plays, Shakespeare outdoors; music, often done in the church because it’s a beautiful place to be, and in the Warwick Hall next door. The hall has been recently developed, making it a great venue for the town, as well as perfect for weddings.

If you could go back in time…

That’s a very difficult question. Burford was wealthy in medieval times. In the 18th century, it had its own racecourse, which Charles II visited. After that, it started to go downhill because the railway never came here. In fact, it became quite a poor area for a time. So I’d probably go back to the 1600s to see Burford in one of its heydays.