A HOLLYWOOD filmmaker has been locked out of his £1 mansion despite spending £750,000 on repairing the derelict estate.
Hopwood DePree took ownership of the site, dubbed ‘Downton Shabby’, in 2017 after agreeing with the council to revive the 600-year-old building.
Hopwood DePree took ownership of the 600-year-old mansion after agreeing with the council to restore it Credit: SWNS
The Hollywood filmmaker says he spent £750,000 of his own money on the restoration project Credit: SWNS
But after spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on the restoration project, he was shocked to find that the council had closed the doors on the building.
DePree said: “I’m looking forward to this coming out in public.
“I feel I have to stand up and fight for what’s right.”
DePree is an American-British writer and former actor, director and producer, born and raised in .
The council locked DePree out of the building in 2024 after saying he was not meeting the conditions of their agreement Credit: SWNS
The 56-year-old has begun a court battle with the council to reclaim the building which is part of his family history Credit: SWNS
He has produced a number of Hollywood films including Virginia in 2001 and Dear Doughboy in 2000.
As well as producing and directing, he has also had screen time in the 2004 film Helter Skelter and The Last Big Attraction released in 1999.
Having grown up hearing stories about a mysterious ‘Hopwood Castle’, the 56-year-old found the long-lost family home in 2013 while researching his ancestry.
He travelled to the UK in 2013 and found the once-grand mansion in a derelict state, with broken windows, collapsing ceilings and water running down the walls.
DePree struck a deal with Rochdale Borough Council in 2017 and took ownership of the site, located in Middleton, Greater , for £1.
In return, he would have to secure planning permission and bring the approximately 50,000 square feet estate back into use.
He was granted permission to transform it into an events and hospitality venue in 2022.
Mr DePree relocated to the UK, set up the Hopwood Foundation and began restoring the hall with the help of volunteers and heritage experts.
DePree said he invested around £750,000 of his own into the restoration project.
But his relationship with the council began to deteriorate after it claimed he had failed to meet the terms of the agreement.
The filmmaker said that he met the conditions of the agreement and disputed the council’s claims.
Despite this, the council stopped the deal and shut the building off, leaving DePree and his team locked out of the historic site in November 2024.
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 plan, which is 100 per cent false.
“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.”
The council said that it had to protect public money after already hundreds of thousands of pounds into the building.
DePree has now taken the council to a High Court battle over his family’s crumbling ancestral estate.
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.
It will be decided as to whether DePree, who has submitted around 1,500 pages of evidence to the court, had in fact met the terms of an agreement with the council.
Despite the project having taken its toll, he said that it still 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.”
The council has been approached for comment.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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