We started our trip by orientating ourselves, as many early modern people would have, from the local church.

After exploring the interior, admiring the contributions of various generations of worshippers, we emerged and were greeted by its impressive tower, and the wonderful clear blue sky.

Burford Parish Church

Burford’s High Street is situated along the main trading route between the North and South of England

Most of the buildings along this street had been public houses at some point.

The concentration of these establishments was especially dense where the high street intersected with the East-West road.

The High Street

The BearIn the courtyard of the Bear we discussed the spatial layout of an early modern tavern, noting the relative size of the establishment, as well as its particular structure.

It appears in this case that the inn was assembled out of existing residential buildings, and at some point would also have had wooden galleries linking private rooms.

The Bull The only brick-fronted building on the high street, the Bull is one of the oldest public houses in Burford.

It originally occupied the building two units up, but moved and was renovated in order to cater to the social elite, who were its patrons especially in the eighteenth century.

The kitchen was closed when we visited, a testimony to the travails of pub-keeping then as now.

This picture is of an interesting tile under its archway.

The Royal Oak

Apart from the interesting inn sign, this pub was a haven for Royalists during the Civil War and Interregnum years.

We discussed how the names of inns could carry significant messages about the inns and their patrons, thus engineering for itself a specific clientele.

The Bay TreeThe “American Tourist” pub, the Bay Tree is fitted up with old-looking fixtures and boasts of a long operating history.

Actually set up in a later period, it is a good example of “invented traditions,” as it pretends to an early modern ancestry (as can be seen on its website)

Our Final stop, the Lamb Inn, where we discussed our observations and had a splendid meal.