East will meet West at a stately home on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border as it helps celebrate the Chinese New Year in style.

Weston Park is celebrating the Year of the Dragon with a range of activities during February Half Term. 

The stately home has teamed up with the Telford-based CultureKind Chinese Community for the special week of activity to mark the lunar new year which falls on February 10.

Half term week – from February 12 to 16 – will feature a series of lantern making activities in the prestigious Rose Paterson Art Gallery, culminating in a special lantern parade on the evening of February 16. 

The lantern makers will be invited to a ‘Follow the Dragon’ parade, taking their lit lanterns through the grounds to the House at Weston Park. 

On the evenings of February 17 and 18 the House will be open with its historic rooms atmospherically lit by the lanterns, giving visitors the chance to see the magnificent rooms in a new light. 

Meanwhile on February 13 there will also be special guided tours of the House and its collection focused on an in-depth look at the Chinese ceramic, furniture, wallpaper and other works of art. 

Gareth Williams, Curator and Head of Learning at Weston Park, said: ‘’CultureKind Chinese Community have given us help and support to celebrate the Chinese New Year for the first time at Weston Park. 

“We have planned a range of exciting activities including a month-long exhibition in the Rose Paterson Art Gallery from February 2 to 29. 

‘’The House will be illuminated with lanterns made by local schools, youth groups and visitors to the Rose Paterson Art Gallery, encouraging engagement with the Chinese items in the collection that we have in the House.

“The East Meets West tours will be particularly special with the tour exploring what the hidden meanings of the Chinese items in the collection are.”  

Weston Park’s celebrations fall within the period of the Chinese New Year, with the lantern celebration being slightly ahead of the actual Chinese date of the Lantern Festival. 

Gareth added: ‘’The Lantern Festival is also known as the Yuan Xiao Festival which is the first night that we can see the full moon in the lunar new year. It symbolizes the arrival of spring and the end of the Chinese New Year celebration.”

The House will be open from 4pm – 7pm on February 17 and 18 and tickets can be prebooked at https://weston-park.com/chinese-new-year/

The East meets West House Tours take place on February 13 at 11am and 2:30pm. Tickets can be prebooked at https://weston-park.com/chinese-new-year/