Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Street). Three buses per day (just one on Sun) make the 45-minute run to Burford
(£3.40 one-way).
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Tourist Information Centre
is at the Old
Brewery, Sheep Street (
&
01993/823558;
www.cotswold.info/places/burford.
shtml). It's open November through February, Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 4pm,
and March through October, Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 5:30pm.
Exploring the Area
Though the wool trade has long since vanished, most of Burford remains unchanged
in appearance, with medieval stone houses in the High Street, which sweeps down
to the River Windrush, covered with roofs of Stonesfield slate. Burford's magnificent
Church of St. John the Baptist
(www.burfordchurch.org), dating from 1175, is
almost cathedral-like in size, while the
Tolsey,
126 High St., is where, from the 12th
century, wool merchants paid their tolls and taxes. On the upper floor is the tiny
Tolsey Museum
(
&
01993/823236;
Apr-Oct Tues-Sun 2-5pm; free), where you
can see a medieval seal bearing Burford's insignia, the “rampant cat.”
Before you leave Burford, we suggest a slight detour to
Swinbrook,
a pretty village
by the River Windrush immediately to the east. It's best known as the one-time home
of the fabled Mitford sisters. Visit the local parish church to see the grave of writer
Nancy Mitford (1904-73) and the impressive tiered monuments to the Fettiplace
family, once the landed gentry of the region.
Cotswold Wildlife Park
ZOO Two miles south of Burford on the A361 lies
the incongruous but entertaining Cotswold Wildlife Park, a guaranteed hit with chil-
dren. The 65 hectares (160 acres) of gardens and forests around this Victorian manor
house have been transformed into a jungle of sorts, with a Noah's Ark consortium of
animals ranging from voracious ants to rare Asiatic lions, rhinos, and a Madagascar
exhibit for fans of the DreamWorks movie. Children can also romp around the farm-
yard and the adventure playground. A narrow-gauge railway runs from April to Octo-
ber, and there are extensive picnic areas as well as a cafeteria.
A361, south of Burford.
&
01993/823006.
www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk. Admission £13 adults,
£8.50 seniors and children 3-16, free for children 2 and under. Apr-Oct daily 10am-4:30pm; Nov-Mar
daily 10am-3:30pm (last entry 1 hr. before closing).
Kelmscott Manor
HISTORIC HOME This handsome Elizabethan man-
sion was the home of William Morris (1834-96), artist, craftsman, socialist, and
founder of the influential Arts and Crafts Movement. The manor was built around
1600, from local limestone, and leased by Morris and the Pre-Raphaelite painter
Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1871. Inside you'll find a fine collection of Morris's work
and personal possessions, from handcrafted furniture to original textiles, paintings,
carpets, ceramics, and metalwork. Morris is buried in the grounds of nearby St.
George's Church. Admission to the house is by timed ticket (last entry 4:30pm).
Kelmscott, Lechlade, Gloucestershire (off the A417), 10 miles south of Burford.
&
01993/823006.
www.kelmscottmanor.org.uk. Admission £9 adults, £4.50 students and children 8-16, free for children 7
and under. Apr-Oct Wed and Sat 11am-5pm. Closed Nov-Mar.
Where to Eat & Stay
Bay Tree Hotel
This atmospheric old inn was built for Sir Lawrence Tan-
field, the unpopular lord chief baron of the exchequer to Elizabeth I. Modern com-
forts have been discreetly installed in the English country-style accommodations,
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