Hollywood actor says he’ll never give up epic quest to return his family’s British stately home to its former glory – as he gears up for court battle with council that locked him out

A Hollywood actor who is taking legal action against a UK council over a stately home called ‘Downton Shabby’ has spoken of his despair after being evicted but hopes to make a breakthrough in his upcoming High Court battle.

Hopwood DePree says he spent hundreds of thousands of pounds restoring a stately home in Middleton, Greater Manchester.

The 55-year-old has published a book, Downton Shabby, detailing his efforts to renovate the 15th-century mansion associated with his family over the course of 400 years.

But last year he was forced to leave his ‘ancestral family home’ after discovering the doors were locked to him despite a £13 million renovation offer.

Mr DePree has since launched a legal case against Rochdale Borough Council in a bid to regain access to the 60-room mansion called Hopwood Hall and hopes to make progress in January.

Last November he was told he had been kicked off the restoration project and removed from the site by the council owners; The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s bid of £250,000 was also withdrawn.

Mr. DePree, who is also a filmmaker, has previously described what it was like growing up. 3,500 miles away Before his movie career took him to Hollywood, Michigan was fascinated by his grandfather’s bedtime stories about an English castle the family left behind when their grandchildren first moved to the United States.

Speaking to the Daily Mail after taking action against Rochdale Council, he described his shock at being banned from the property.

Rochdale Council last year ended its seven-year partnership with Hopwood DePree (pictured), criticizing the American’s £13 million redevelopment project as too slow

Mr DePree, who said he had spent £581,000 renovating the demolished mansion, told the Mail: ‘The council has until January to respond; We haven’t heard anything back from them.

‘I cannot believe that a public institution can act this way. ‘We were kicked to the curb.’

He described how locks were installed on the property and he was denied access.

Mr DePree, speaking from the US but planning to return to his base in Manchester soon, added: ‘The house is in a terrible state.

‘But since I got involved in 2017 we have helped save the gardens and won three awards in a row from the Royal Horticultural Society.

‘This is a project that makes a big difference. I know the council said I never submitted a business plan, but that’s completely wrong.

‘I presented a business plan at the council meeting in July 2022 and received full support.’

He says he has received support from local residents in the village, with volunteers helping to restore the land and supporters including former Rochdale councilor Peter Allonby.

Mr DePree has launched a legal case against Rochdale Council to regain access to the 60-room mansion called Hopwood Hall and hopes to make progress in January

Picture: Hopwood Hall in Middleton, five miles north of Manchester

Volunteers help by carrying out work on the Middleton estate

Mr Allonby told the Daily Mail: ‘There is huge support from the community; People here want the hall to be renovated.

‘I went to Hopwood Hall for teacher training held there in the 1960s and it looked like it was about to disappear after decades of complete neglect.

‘Volunteers have been doing a lot of work there in recent years but now they’ve been left out and can’t even buy the garden tools they use. ‘This is completely unacceptable behaviour.’

Mr. DePree insisted: ‘This property is very important to the community.’

A court hearing has been scheduled for January 19 to discuss timelines surrounding Rochdale council’s possible response.

Dating from 1426, Hopwood House had a rich history; There was Guy Fawkes, who stayed here, and Lord Byron, who finished his famous poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage at home.

Mr. DePree is said to have connections to ancestors dating back 400 years to his 17th-century relative, John Hopwood.

Rochdale council’s decision to evict Mr DePree from the area is being challenged in London’s High Court; Documents submitted on his behalf insist that the sale should not fail and that he has ‘a clear vision, a plan and the resources to save Hopwood Hall’.

Mr DePree said he was approached by the council to lead the fight to save Hopwood Hall because they and the further education college, which owns the surrounding land, had “washed their hands of it”.

Once the renovations were complete, he hoped to move into the sprawling property to oversee an ambitious project that would transform the property into a wedding and music venue, as well as an arts and cultural center.

Rochdale Borough Council granted Mr DePree an exclusivity agreement under which he could develop the building and eventually buy it from them for a ‘nominal amount’ as long as the business plan remained valid.

The 55-year-old has published a book, Downton Shabby, detailing his efforts to renovate the 15th-century mansion associated with his family over the course of 400 years.

An old photograph of the Hopwood family taken in the house’s conservatory

It has a rich history dating back to 1426: Guy Fawkes and Lord Byron, who finished his famous poem ‘Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage’, also stayed there.

Aerial view of Hopwood Hall in Middleton

But the local authority ended its seven-year partnership last year, criticizing America’s £13 million redevelopment project for being too slow and ‘unlikely to secure public or private funding in the future’.

Mr DePree’s lawyers argue the council must honor the sale agreement, claiming the only condition stipulated is obtaining planning permission.

This was adopted in 2022. Plans were to restore the magnificent banquet hall, built in 1689 and used to host weddings, with a 25-bedroom hall that would provide spacious accommodation for guests.

The historic oak hall, library, and upper gallery were dedicated for renovation so that the house could be opened to public tours, which visitors can enter through the gift shop and welcome center.

Mr. DePree also hoped to rebuild the hall’s conservatory, which was lost in the 1950s, and build a stage for movies, theatrical productions and concerts.

Workshops teaching traditional skills such as leaded glass window making, wood carving and plaster molding will also continue.

The council said it was committed to a new feasibility study to develop other options for the future of Hopwood Hall following the end of the exclusivity agreement with Mr DePree.

Rochdale council leader Neil Emmott said last November: ‘Hopwood Hall is a local historic asset that has great meaning for the people of Middleton and indeed the wider borough.

Mr. DePree is seen here outside the mansion during renovations

An old photograph shows the long gallery corridor inside the property

This exterior photo of Hopwood Hall in Middleton was taken in 2014

Here’s the inside of the home during renovations by Hopwood DePree.

‘Something this important involves more than one person, no matter how well-intentioned.

‘Public assets belong to our residents and we cannot allow them to be transferred to private individuals without great care. When we reached an agreement with him, Mr. DePree was required to meet a number of conditions.

‘If we did not hold Mr. DePree to the terms of this agreement, we would be failing in our duty to preserve our historic properties.

‘We know that many local residents have put their heart and soul into the restoration of Hopwood Hall by volunteering on the project.

‘We are very clear that we will continue to involve these volunteers and the wider community in our future plans.’

The Hall and Hopwood family parted ways in the early 20th century, when their two male heirs, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Gregge-Hopwood and his brother, Captain Gerald Gregge-Hopwood, were killed during the First World War.

Grief-stricken, his parents sold the property in 1922.

It was purchased by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation to make uniforms during the Second World War and later became a Catholic teacher training college.

Lawyers for Hopwood DePree (pictured) argue the council must honor a sale agreement and claim the only condition stipulated is obtaining planning permission

Lieutenant Colonel Edward Byng Hopwood (right) was killed during World War I in July 2017.

The 15th-century manor house is pictured here in 2014.

Rochdale Council bought the hall in the 1990s.

Contacted by the Daily Mail for comment, the local authority previously said in June this year: ‘Work to restore Middleton’s historic Hopwood Hall has taken another step forward with another phase of major works to the building’s roof.

‘A building conservationist has been contracted to deliver the work, which will include meticulously repairing and restoring the decaying roof of the council-owned building.

‘The works will bring almost half a million pounds worth of investment into the building, with the council and Historic England jointly funding the £466,000 project.

‘Maysand, based in Oldham, II. It will take care to ensure that the roof is restored to its original appearance to ensure that the valuable heritage of the Grade II listed building is preserved.

‘In addition, the firm will carry out significant work to downspouts and gutters, as well as a careful restoration of leaded windows, to ensure the historic property is completely watertight.’

The Daily Mail contacted Rochdale council, which declined to comment further due to ongoing legal disputes.

Sources suggested the July 2022 meeting Mr Hopwood referred to was not a formal council committee meeting, so minutes would not be published.

After roof repairs worth around £500,000 were recently completed. A feasibility study is ongoing to make recommendations regarding possible future uses of the building.