THE wraps could soon be off Worcester's Boer War memorial statue, being restored by a leading conservation company.

The Grade II listed statue, in Worcester Cathedral precinct was erected to commemorate Worcestershire's losses in the second Boer War.

Building conservation company St Blaise has been commissioned by Worcester City Council to carry out the work at a cost of £10,000.

The firm has spent more than six weeks on the statue and anticipates it will be finished by the end of the month.

The colour of the bronze statue, originally a deep dark black, is reflective of the Victorian period in which it is believed to have been made.

The gradual breakdown of the wax coating used to protect the bronze means that the underlying metal has corroded.

Because there was so little of the original black patination left, St Blaise opted to use a more modern finish, reflective of modern trends of bronze patination, said on-site conservator Jamie McCarthy

The statue is now being re-patinated in a colour that is not as dense as the original, allowing the bronze colours to show through.

"You will see variations in colour, from the green of the copper merging into the reds and browns of the bronze," said Mr McCarthy.