Get you up to speed: American heir of ‘Downton Shabby’ mansion pledges to challenge locked out council
Hopwood DePree is set for a two-day trial on September 29 and 30 against Rochdale Borough Council over access to Hopwood Hall, a Grade II-listed mansion.
Rochdale Borough Council has rejected Hopwood DePree’s claims of meeting the terms for restoring Hopwood Hall, citing a lack of a commercially viable business plan.
Hopwood DePree’s case against Rochdale Borough Council is set for trial on September 29 and 30, determining the future of Hopwood Hall.
What we know so far
A Hollywood filmmaker is set to battle Rochdale Borough Council in the High Court over his family’s crumbling ancestral estate, known locally as ‘Downton Shabby’. Hopwood DePree, 56, was locked out of the 600-year-old Hopwood Hall in Middleton, Greater Manchester, despite years of restoration work.
The court will hear the case on September 29 and 30, determining whether Mr DePree met the conditions of his agreement with the council. He claims the authority has failed to recognise his efforts in restoring the Grade II-listed building, which included investing around £750,000 of his own money.
Relations soured between Mr DePree and the council following a disagreement over the terms of their partnership. In 2024, the council opted not to renew their deal, leading to the closure of the hall, a decision Mr DePree described as a shock to the community. He insists he has substantial evidence to support his claims that he adhered to the agreed conditions.
In response, Rochdale Borough Council has stated it has invested significant public funds in the estate and must consider alternative options to fulfil its obligations. The upcoming trial will bring clarity to the dispute, a situation Mr DePree hopes will honour both his family legacy and the community.
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American who inherited ‘Downton Shabby’ mansion vows to fight council who locked him out | News UK
A Hollywood filmmaker is fighting to get let back into his family’s crumbling ancestral estate dubbed ‘Downton Shabby’ by locals.
Hopwood DePree, 56, says he was left stunned after being locked out of the 600-year-old mansion in Middleton, Greater Manchester, despite putting in years of work restoring the property.
A two-day trial has now been set for September 29 and 30, where judges will decide the future of the Grade II-listed Hopwood Hall – and whether Mr DePree met the terms of an agreement with Rochdale Borough Council.
Speaking about the upcoming hearing, he said: ‘I’m looking forward to this coming out in public.
‘I feel I have to stand up and fight for what’s right.’
Mr Hopwood first discovered the long-lost family home in 2013 while researching his ancestry – having grown up hearing stories about a mysterious ‘Hopwood Castle’.
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He says he travelled to the UK in 2013 to see it for himself and found the once-grand mansion in a derelict state, with broken windows, collapsing ceilings and water running down the walls.
After working with Rochdale Borough Council, he says he struck a deal in 2017 giving him the chance to take ownership of the site for just £1 if he could secure planning permission and bring it back into use.
Mr DePree relocated to the UK, set up the Hopwood Foundation and began restoring the hall with the help of volunteers and heritage experts.
Planning permission to transform it into an events and hospitality venue was granted in 2022.
He says he invested around £750,000 of his own money into the restoration project – later documenting the journey in a book about the efforts.
But relations with the council broke down, with the authority claiming he had failed to meet the terms of the agreement – including producing a commercially viable business plan.
In November 2024, the council chose not to renew the deal and the building was shut, leaving Mr DePree and his team locked out of the historic site.
He said: ‘They attempted to pull the plug on the project and locked us out. That was a complete shock to the community.
‘I couldn’t believe a public body would behave in this way.’
Mr DePree insists he met the conditions of the agreement and disputes the council’s claims – including suggestions he failed to present a business plan.
He said: ‘They just went directly to the media and fed a story that we had not made enough progress and I hadn’t presented a business plan, which is 100 per cent false.’
The council, meanwhile, says it has invested hundreds of thousands of pounds into the building and must protect public money, adding that it has a responsibility to explore alternative options.
The dispute is now set to be decided in court, with both sides preparing to argue their case.
Mr DePree said he has submitted around 1,500 pages of evidence and believes the hearing will bring the full picture into the open.
Currently based in Michigan but born and raised in Los Angeles, he said the project has taken its toll – but remains deeply personal.
He said the restoration would be a tribute not just to the community, but to his late grandfather.
He added: ‘It would be an incredible day to see Hopwood Hall restored, not only for myself after everything we’ve gone through, but also for my grandfather who has passed away.’
Rochdale Council was approached for comment.
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