A MEMORIAL to one of the pioneers of Malvern's water cure has been unveiled by Malvern Civic Society.

The memorial, at the junction of Abbey Road with Priory Road, commemorates Dr James Wilson, one of the two doctors who set up the cure in Great Malvern.

The popularity of the cure helped to transform Malvern from a village into a bustling Victorian spa resort.

The memorial stands on the site of an earlier monument to Dr Wilson, an elaborate spire resembling a smaller version the Albert Memorial in London, which was demolished in 1948 after falling into disrepair.

The new monument is a slab of Forest of Dean stone over two metres high, with two embossed metal plaques, one with an image of the original monument, and the second engraved with the dedication on that monument. The two-ton slab was carved by stonemasons Steve Allard and Son of Callow End.

Landscaping work around the memorial stone will be carried out early in the New Year, and it will be fully accessible to the public.

The memorial was paid for out of Section 106 money paid to Malvern Hills District Council by the builder of the nearby Croftdown Court residential development.

The district council, the civic society, Malvern Spa Association and Worcester County Council's highways department worked together on the project, and Malvern Town Council has agreed to maintain the monument once all the work has been completed.

The society plans to hold a ceremony at the memorial in May, when all the work will have been finished, to commemorate Dr Wilson's work, complete with water cure re-enactment.

The memorial was unveiled by civic society president Dudley Brook, who warmly thanked society member Brian Iles for his hard work on the project.

Civic society chairman Clive Hooper said: "We have to thank the district and town councils, Worcestershire County Council and Malvern Spa Association for their collaboration on this scheme.

"It is fitting that Section 106 funds are used to support projects of this kind which enhance the town and remind us of its past connections. The society will be pressing to unlock more such funds for the benefit of our community in the months and years ahead."