town hallView of town hall from the Churchhigh streetAlcester High StreetChurch gardenSt Nicholas Church Gardens

A Historical Market Town

Alcester is the quintessential English market town, an architectural gem with a lively community feel set in the attractive, rolling 'Shakespeare's Countryside', just seven miles west of Stratford-on-Avon, home of the bard.

Situated on the River Arrow, its medieval street pattern survives almost intact, along with many ancient properties including the wonderful church of St Nicholas with its 14th century tower and the early 17th century town hall.

Alcester's history extends back to the Romans. The town has been the subject of numerous archaeological digs and is now one of the best understood Roman settlements in the country. See the History Section for more information.

Explore Alcester

You can explore the town centre with the aid of a heritage trail which incorporates our most important historic buildings, our wonderful selection of traditional pubs and coaching inns and other restaurants and a fascinating array of traditional, independent shops including antiques and other specialist retailers (This is available at Globe House).

There is also have a series of walks available on this website, devised and mapped by Roger Noyce.

Events Throughout the Year

We also like to bring our heritage to life through local events, many of which now attract a wide following. There is the Town Criers' Competition in April, the Annual Mop in October, Folk and Arts Festivals, parades, markets and much more besides.

See the Alcester What's On Guide for up to date information.

Places to Visit

There are lots of places to visit in Alcester and the surrounding area including our three treasures, three fine historic houses open to the public; Ragley Hall, the home of the Marquess and Marchioness of Hertford, Coughton Court, the home of the Throckmorton family and owned by the National Trust, and Mary Arden's House, the mother of William Shakespeare. Visit the houses and their wonderful gardens set in beautiful surroundings.

Exploring our countryside

There are great opportunities to explore the countryside and surrounding villages. The best way is to follow one of our selection of walks, cycle routes or leisure drives which link up interesting sites and places to eat and drink. In particular, why not try our new country walks section, The Arden Way, an official Heart of England walk or the SUSTRANS cycle link to Stratford.

Somewhere to stay

Our accommodation providers offer you a warm and friendly welcome in a choice of places to suit you. You can find accommodation through this website or at the Tourist Information Point in the centre of town.

Accessible Alcester

We are trying to make Alcester as accessible as possible for all, including those with disabilities. We are fortunate that the town centre is flat, compact and has a large, free car park immediately adjacent to the town centre. The planned improvements to the town centre will make circulation even easier. Many of the attractions and accommodation providers offer special facilities.

Additionally this website has been created using standards based XHTML technology meaning it complies with accessibility legislation and is easily read using a screen reader and many other devices.

Need any more information?

Please contact us if you require any more information

The Week Ahead


Visiting Alcester?

You may find the sections below useful reading before your visit.