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A history in the landscape
For the fourth of our series of prayer walks, Sarah Meyrick visits Burford in West Oxfordshire in the company of Ruth Reavley
Listen to Ruth Reavley reflecting on her walk around Burford, Widford and Swinbrook with the Revd Sally Welch.
Photo: Sally Welch and Ruth Reavley outside Burford Church
BURFORD, nestling on the River Windrush, is a picture postcard town often described as the gateway to the Cotswolds. Its position on an important trading route meant it prospered between the 14th and the 17th centuries thanks to the flourishing Cotswold wool trade.
The walk begins at the parish church of St John (1), an outstanding church (awarded five stars by Simon Jenkins in his England’s Thousand Best Churches) which is a living reminder of the town’s historic wealth. The historic trading route now brings thousands of tourists to the town and the villages of the benefice, who seek out the churches as part of their Cotswold experience, and a growing lively and diverse congregation to Burford week by week to worship and pray.
There is plenty to see. In particular, you may like to look at the memorial to Edward Harman, who was Henry VIII’s barber and courtier, and who died in 1569. His memorial shows his 16 children, and more surprisingly, the first known depiction in England of the Indian inhabitants of the New World. It is thought that, through his connections at Court, Harman was engaged in opening up trade with the New World at a time when the Americas were almost unimaginably distant.
You may like to pause here to consider our connections with those far away on the other side of the world. How do the choices we make affect them? Pray for people in parts of the world in particular need at the moment.
The church was also the scene of a dramatic incident in 1649, when Oliver Cromwell imprisoned a group of Leveller mutineers here for three nights, after which they were to be taken out and shot. In the event, Cromwell relented after the first three of the 340 or so had been executed. One of the prisoners, Anthony Sedley, who was to survive, carved his name on the lead of the font. Imagine what it must have been like to be imprisoned here, knowing you were facing death. You may like to pray for those who are caught up in political turmoil today, and in particular those in real fear of their lives.
Finally, have a look at the window in the south transept by the stained glass artist Christopher Whall, who was a contemporary of William Morris and an important member of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The window shows, in great detail, scenes from Jesus’s life. The sober tones used to show the earthly life of Christ give way to more dramatic colours as the story progresses upwards. Overarching the whole is a quite spectacular, golden celestial city, inspired by the book of Revelation. You may like to reflect on your own vision of heaven.
Leaving the church, bear left along Church Lane, turn right into Guildenford and then left onto Witney Street. After half a mile or so, turn left off the road onto the footpath which follows the River Windrush (2) to Widford. You may like to reflect on the river, and its unstoppable flow. You might pray for those for whom water is desperately scarce, or frighteningly destructive to their way of life.
Rejoin the road shortly before turning left into Widford. Take the track (on the right) along the footpath to St Oswald’s church, clearly visible ahead (3). As you cross the meadow you can see from the lumpy ground the traces of a former settlement that has long since disappeared, leaving the tiny church in isolation.
The church is a single cell structure from the 13th century, built over a Roman villa. A mosaic exists beneath the chancel floor. There are Georgian box pews, and the remains of early wall paintings. What makes St Oswald’s so special is its simplicity. Pause to enjoy the tranquillity. Think about how and where you find stillness and a sense of God’s presence in your daily life. Where are you most refreshed? Remember the lost village, and the generations of those who have lived and worshipped in this place over the centuries.
Return to the path and continue on half a mile to Swinbrook church. St Mary’s (4) is different again. Thanks to a stray war-time bomb, there is almost no stained glass, and the interior is extremely light as a result. (Fragments of ancient glass were rescued and recomposed in a window in the south aisle.) The church is noted for the extraordinary Fettiplace tombs along the north chancel wall. Each has three effigies, lying on shelves. On the left, the figures are highly stylised and stiff; on the right, erected fifty years later, the figures are more relaxed.
In the churchyard you can see the graves of another famous family, the Redesdales, who include Nancy, Unity and Diana Mitford (later Mosley). You may like to pause and think of the words of the Nunc Dimittis:
“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace: according to thy word.
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people Israel.”
Pray for those you have loved who have died.
Walk back towards Widford church and then turn right up Dean Bottom. When you meet the road, turn left towards Fulbrook (5) where you can visit the church of St James the Great or turn left along the main road to return straightaway to Burford.
Burford is 19 miles from Oxford on the A40. There is a free car park off the High Street (A361) near the church. Bus routes include the 233/X3 (Stagecoach) and 53 (Swanbrook). The churches described in the walk are generally open during daylight hours.
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