Burford's Buildings, Upper High Street and the Hill
East Side: Uphill from Swan Lane
This far up the hill settlement may have thinned in the later Middle Ages, following falls in population. At least two houses are part-medieval, however: No. 127 and, most strikingly, No. 139 (Hill House). Most others are of 16th-, 17th-, and 18th-century origin, and include former inns or public houses (Nos. 127, 141, 155), smart private dwellings (Nos. 127, 131, 153), and cottages (Nos. 143-5). In the 19th century many were subdivided to accommodate labourers or lesser tradespeople, and behind Nos. 135-7 and 153 were two of the town's cramped cottage yards. No. 157, at the top of the hill, is another example of early 20th-century remodelling in vernacular style.
Collection Items
As at Nos. 135–137, in the 19th century the carriageway gave access to a cramped cottage yard containing at least 5 dwellings.
At the heart of this building is a 16th-century two-roomed house with a cross-passage behind the left-hand doorway.
This 3-gabled house looks quintessentially 17th-century and retains some genuine features, such as the drip-moulds over the windows.
This late medieval stone and (probably) timber-framed house has been much altered, but its medieval plan can still be discerned.
The house has 17th-century origins, and in 1703 was owned by a carpenter and apparently let as four properties.