A MALVERN man has assembled an outstanding assortment of local memorabilia after decades of collecting.

Postcards and old photos, china souvenirs, glass and stone bottles . . . these are just a few of the items which Brian Iles has accumulated over the years.

His home in Malvern bears some resemblance to a small museum, with cabinets showcasing his comprehensive collection.

Mr Iles is a native of the town and was educated at North Malvern School and Dyson Perrins.

He retired two years ago from his job with the property department of the National Express coach company, which now allows him to pursue his hobby to an even greater extent.

"It started about 25 years ago, in about the mid-70s. My father always had about half-a-dozen old pictures, 1910-ish, and it just started from there," he said.

Now Mr Iles himself has about 2,000 old pictures and postcards, carefully preserved in albums and is currently scanning many of them in to his computer to be archived on disk. Among his collection is a number of stereoscopic pictures, which are intended to be viewed together for an early 3D effect.

As his passion for collecting developed, Mr Iles began to collect other Malvern-related artifacts. His display cabinets hold an astonishing variety of china souvenirs from the Victorian era onward, many emblazoned with views of the Malvern Hills, the priory or the town's coat of arms.

Jumble sales and similar events are a fruitful source of these items, according to Mr Iles.

"You can frequently end up buying a whole box of china just for one item," he said.

Bottles - both glass and stone - which contained Malvern spa water or other locally-made beverages, are also significantly represented.

"These sometimes turn up in rubbish tips and in people's gardens," he explained.

One of the most unusual items on his shelves is a red glass spa flagon, a flat drinking vessel which the Victorian health seeker would carry while visiting the many springs and wells around the hills.

This glass is engraved with a Malvern scene, which makes it unique in Mr Iles's experience.

The cabinets themselves have some history, having been acquired from Malvern shops. One of them was bought when the Belle Vue Terrace chemist's, Manders, closed.

Other items in his collection include old signs from various parts of town, Roman pottery fragments uncovered at the Townsend Way development and even a stone model representing St Ann's Well, which was found buried in a Welsh border town.