Alcester (/ˈɒlstər, ˈɔːl-/ ⓘ OL-stər, AWL-) is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire, England.

[6] By the end of the 2nd century, Roman Alcester had developed into a bustling trading and market town: A small walled area in the centre of the town was surrounded by an extensive grid of roads serving a complex of workshops and their associated housing, which specialised in trades such as tanning, metal working and pottery manufacture.

Some of the houses of Roman Alcester appear to have been well endowed, with features such as heating, painted plaster and mosaic floors.

By 1515 Alcester Abbey was in ruins as a result of the neglect of various abbots, and later during the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII it was largely demolished.

The oldest house appears to be The Old Malthouse at the corner of Church Street and Malt Mill Lane, which probably dates from about 1500.

The church's Georgian nave with Doric columns and plastered ceiling is believed to have been designed by Francis Smith of Warwick, supervisor of its rebuild by the Woodward brothers of Chipping Campden in 1729.

The loop was built to address the fact that the main line bypassed most of the towns it might otherwise have served, but it took three separate companies to complete, Alcester being on the Evesham and Redditch railway prior to absorption by the Midland.

Recent developments, carried out by a multi-agency partnership, include 'Roman Alcester', a museum exhibiting locally found archaeological artifacts from the 1st to 4th century.

[18] In early June, Alcester holds the Court Leet[19] charity street market with a procession and competitions for best stall and best fancy dress.

The mop fair has gradually decreased in size over a period of years, likely an external influence since the people of Alcester still flock to the streets during the two nights.

The annual duck race takes place on the 2nd Saturday in July to raise funds for the summer bunting and Christmas lights.

The River Alne and Arrow, which join on the outskirts of Alcester, have occasionally flooded and on a few occasions engulfed part of the town.

The scheme included work on the two pumping stations located at Bleachfield Street and Gas House Lane.