Tributes to historian John Bunting who had an undying love of Alcester

JOHN Bunting, a well-known figure in Alcester who had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the town’s history, has died at the age of 86. Heavily involved in all manner of activities in Alcester – including chairing a group that produced the book 100 Years of Alcester – John showed early signs of individuality and enterprise. John was born in January 1939 to Eric and Evelyn Bunting, who already had a daughter, Mary, born two years earlier. Returning from National Service, John went into the family grocery business to help. After selling the family business in 1996 he became a volunteer guide for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, initially at Harvard House in Stratford High Street.