COLOURFUL celebrations marked the re-opening of a Chinese bridge at a Worcestershire attraction after an absence of more than 100 years.

The bridge at Croome Court near Pershore was designed for the sixth Earl of Coventry by William Halfpenny in the 1740s but was lost to rot and decay only 100 years later.

But an exact replica has now been built and placed in the same location as its predecessor and was officially opened on Tuesday, July 28 with a colourful ceremony involving Chinese lion dancers and drummers.

General manager of the National Trust parkland Michael Forster-Smith said he was “ecstatic” the new bridge was in place.

“The Chinese bridge was one of the few missing features of the parkland at Croome,” he said.

“It would have been an incredible sight in the landscape as it was painted bright and white and very large.

“Being such a key component of the Croome landscape, it has a dramatic impact on the views around the place especially from the house.”

The new bridge was created using a painting of Croome from 1758 and a book entitled Developments in Architecture and Carpentry from 1749.

Parts of the original bridge were also found during dredging of the river and archaeological excavations along the banks found the original footings so the exact location was known. The pieces were well preserved from the water and helped inform the design of the bridge.

A pair of dams had to be set up to hold back the water and create a dry bed to set up the foundations of the new bridge, which was funded by the Monument 85 Fund, a trust set up by businessman and philanthropist Simon Sainsbury to pay for restoration work in National Trust parklands.

The remainder of the cost was raised through fundraising with help by Lord Flight of Worcester.

The new bridge is made using English Oak by the Greenoak Company and will be left for a year to settle to allow the traditionally made joints to tighten. It will then be painted an off-white colour, similar to how the original bridge is believed to have been painted.