Burford sits on the River Windrush, just inside Oxfordshire.
The Cotswolds cover 800 square miles and is the largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty ( AONB) in England and Wales.
Burford sits at the Eastern edge of this area and is quintessentially Cotswold with beautiful honey coloured houses, dating back to the mid Saxon period, between the 5th and 11th centuries.
We travelled in from Gloucestershire but it is also easy to reach from Oxford being only 18 miles west of this university city. Parking is free – both on the street and in the public car park. Parking on the East side of the High Street is limited to 2 hours but there is no time restriction on the West side of the High Street. We parked on the left side driving in from the A40. Be prepared for it to be busy, this small town is popular with visitors and locals alike.
Burford, from a shopping perspective, is primarily made up of one street but don’t be fooled into thinking there won’t be much to see because this small town definitely packs a punch when it comes to browsing the shops. Considering how much the High Streets in England are generally on the decline there is little evidence of this here with a great variety of independent shops to choose from.
We began our explorations at the La Bulle. This beautifully laid out fashion accessories shop specialises in Italian leather bags at affordable prices and that wonderful fresh leather smell greets you as soon as you walk through the door.
Their new Eden Cross Body bag comes in at a very reasonable £39.95 in a variety of colours. There is no heavy salesmanship either, instead just a cheery “Hello” as you enter, some great quotes on the walls whilst you are browsing and a “Thank you” when you leave.
Keep your eyes peeled as you wander down the High Street as there are a few small alleyways that meander away from the Main Street that are worth exploring architecturally.
We passed by The Tolsey Museum, which is a museum dedicated to local history and housed in a Grade II listed Tudor style building, that was formerly the market and town hall of Burford.
Our next stop was instead The Madhatter Bookshop.
Anyone who knows me or has read my previous posts knows I cannot walk past an independent bookshop. Whilst most of my reading these days is on my Kindle, more for ease of transportation, I always like to support local businesses and particularly bookshops that were greatly effected by the evolution of the giant monster that is Amazon.
The Madhatter arrived in Burford some twenty plus years ago, whilst it’s current owner -Kim took up the mantle fives year ago just before the pandemic! The shop, itself, is cosy and inviting. It’s not huge but don’t be afraid to chat to the Assistant because even if they don’t have what you might be looking for or maybe don’t know what you want and need some help or guidance, they have a wealth of experience and are more than happy to help including ordering a book and having it delivered to your home address.
Additionally they hold Book/Bar evenings and a virtual “Book Club” that you can join wherever you are in the world!
Kim is also the founder of the September Burford Literary Festival which delivers a range of chats and talks. As Kim says on her website “Events take place in bijou rooms with their own special ambience. Numbers are kept small and personal to enable events to feel like a conversation between author and audience.” So if literacy is your thing why not include a visit to Burford while the festival is on?
On a final note don’t leave the shop before checking out the literary range of handbags, they are truly unique.
Leaving the bookshop behind we crossed over Sheep Street, which is home to various inns and places to stay, and made our way past Huffkins. This Cotswold tearoom is well worth a visit if you are looking to have elevenses, lunch or afternoon tea whilst visiting. We have been here before so didn’t stop today.
It’s been here since 1890 and has developed across time, producing such pleasurable cakes, and sandwiches etc that the business has expanded to envelop another eight tea rooms including locations in London.
A little further on, just down one of the side alleys I spoke about, our next stop was Craft & Curious. This pottery painting studio offers hand made, hand painted and personalised pottery keepsakes and homeware whilst also selling anything Christmas, year round! If you like to spend time doing something “crafty” whilst away for a couple of days it’s worth giving them a call in advance as you can paint your own pottery and they also run “Paint and Prosecco” evenings. I was personally tempted in though by a “gonk” which delivered on a forthcoming birthday gift.
Tucked away in the corner of this alleyway is also “Nutmeg & Thyme” a 100% gluten free and vegan cafe which we will no doubt try on a future visit.
Just past this alleyway is “Burford’s Traditional Sweet Shop”. For over ten years this shop has remained in business tempting it’s visitors into a “sweety wonderland”, with over 200 varieties to choose from alongside local handmade chocolates and gifts.
I love a proper sweet shop, with rows and rows of sweetie jars where you pick your favourite so the Assistant can weigh out 100g or more. Discovering old favourites like Sherbet Dips, Gobstoppers and Aniseed Balls alongside more modern introductions such as Fizzy Cola bottles, Giant Strawberries and Vegan varieties is fairly unique these days when most sweet treats are just purchased from the local supermarket.
Staying on the left side of the road we headed down towards the river stopping off at The Cookshop. I’m always tempted by a shop selling kitchen items. Not your run of the mill superstore style but small and independent, normally stocked to the rafters with unique items that you didn’t even realise you needed!
This shop doesn’t disappoint and I nearly left with a matching pair of beautiful blue hummingbird tins -one for biscuits and the other for cake. They would have looked great on my kitchen island but I was slightly afraid of then filling them with tempting goodies, no doubt full of calories and destroying my healthy eating habits forever!
Unfortunately they don’t have a website. I say this because a couple of the reviews I read mentioned how customers had purchased items whilst visiting and then wanted more of the same range on returning home but then couldn’t facilitate this.
At the bottom of the High Street is the bridge across the river. Take care because even though there are traffic lights to regulate the flow of vehicles it is quite busy. If like me you still want to gaze upon the river below, head to the right of the bridge as there are a couple of inlets where you can stop and take in the views whilst avoiding the traffic.
Heading back up the High Street, on the opposite side, there are some great views to be had of the traditional Cotswold stone houses. I also like to check out the doorways. Some of them are so old that they cleverly display the difference in stature that has evolved over time. Being quite a short person they don’t faze me but an average height person today would probably struggle to fit through!
Crossing over Church Street we pop into Hanley’s Lifestyle and Delicatessen. This shop offers “a clever combination of home design, bespoke furniture, cabinetry and upholstery, gifts and accessories, luxury homeware and a delicatessen”, which was the main attraction for us. The freshly baked pies and patisserie were tempting.
We pass by the 17th century building that houses The Priory Tearooms which again we have frequented previously. On that occasion it was a beautiful sunny day and we sat in the nicely laid out gardens at the rear soaking up the sunshine whilst eating a lovely lunch.
We pop into “Three French Hens” gift shop, check out the proverb on their sign, for a quick peruse of their quirky wall notices etc before heading on up the street.
We were hoping to stop at an Antique Centre which used to be housed in the Methodist Church but has now unfortunately ceased to exist as the building is up for sale.
Instead we move on up to “The Burford Farm Shop” and next door “The Cotswold Cheese Company”. The Farm shop is, unfortunately, closed on a Sunday but we normally pop in here when in town as they are part of the “Jesse Smith” group of butchers which I’ve mentioned before on my post about Tetbury.
The Cheese Company, however, is open. Founded 18 years ago, this specialist purveyor of cheese began it’s days in Moreton-in-the Marsh but following its success here, the company expanded to two additional shops -this one in Burford and another in Stow-on-the-Wold. Their shops stock over 120 different cheeses, obviously centred around Cotswold cheesemakers but with other British cheeses available as well as some continental diehards. It doesn’t stop at cheese you can also find fresh bakery items alongside a range of deli products.
Having not eaten all day we left the High Street behind and drove back up to the A40. Taking a left towards Oxford and then the next right turn off onto the B4020 we headed to the Burford Garden Company.
Despite passing this venue many times, as we traverse the country and head towards the M40 in order to connect into London and beyond, we had never ventured inside. Having now visited, the first thing I can tell you is this is not your normal garden centre!
The founder, Nigel Johnson, originally purchased a derelict farm just above Burford and transformed it into a plant nursery. In 1976 Nigel and his wife Louise then extended the idea and created Burford Garden Co. Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength.
It now covers over 15 acres of land, employs over 170 staff in peak season and, contrary to most peoples’ perspective of a garden centre being a large warehouse style cavern, this has an intriguing sprawl of spacious glass houses. These have changed greatly over the five decades since it’s inception, including the construction of behind-the-scenes warehouses and offices that were required to keep Burford Company ticking over.
The car park is huge, laid out with directional signs and with a childrens’ play area at the far end. As you walk towards the entrance you pass a bookshop, garden buildings company and a couple of coffee outlets etc
Inside you will find not just plants for sale but a veritable array of goods. The website proclaims “it has grown into a one-of-a-kind destination store for those seeking a unique, curated mixture of plants, gardenalia, home decor, furniture, art, clothing and food.”
Think of a garden centre fit for Bond Street and you won’t go far wrong. They even have a piano player set amidst the pots and clothing!
There is no doubt that this garden centre caters for the rich and famous that live within driving distance of it’s doors. Unfortunately despite keeping my eyes peeled I didn’t see Mr Beckham or any of his associates!
We did, however, buy lunch in their Glasshouse Cafe, which sits at the heart of the centre and offers fresh, healthy food made from scratch. We were impressed by the food but to be honest, perhaps because of its size and position it lacked the atmosphere and coziness we would have found in one of the many cafes and tea rooms in Burford itself.
Burford is a beautiful example of a Cotswold town and I urge you to include it in your itinerary. Spend a morning or afternoon here and you will, no doubt, leave as I did feeling joyous and happy.
NB: This is the seventh post in my series about the wonderful “Cotswolds”. An area in the UK that you really shouldn’t miss out on visiting if you are coming to the UK. It’s full of olde world charm, history going back to the Roman era and beautiful architecture. Check out previous posts in this series plus more to come soon.
Please don’t forget to comment and/or like. I love to hear what my readers think and also look forward to your recommendations of places to see in the Cotswolds for my future adventures Thank you
A Midlife Adventure 