No Hollywood ending for Hopwood

COUNCIL TAKES BACK CONTROL OF STATELY HOME 7 YEARS AFTER 'EXCLUSIVITY AGREEMENT'

- GEORGE LYTHGOE

A HOLLYWOOD filmmaker and actor hoping to restore his ancestral GradeII* listed home has been left in shock after a council decided to take back control of it.

The grand Hopwood Hall in Middleton, which dates back to the 1420s, sits behind its namesake college nestled within the woodlands.

On the surface it is a glorious building with masses of history and heritage, but the inside is crumbling.

Back in 2017, Rochdale council entered into an 'exclusivity agreement' with US actor, writer and filmmaker Hopwood DePree who vowed to restore the stately home.

Hopwood swapped Hollywood for Middleton to restore what he claimed as his ancestral home through his family lineage. He has previously alluded to the state of the home by describing it as 'Downton Shabby.'

The council feels very little progress on the building has been made since the agreement was made.

The decision by town hall bosses has taken the Mr DePree by surprise, and he believes he has a 'legally binding agreement to purchase Hopwood Hall.'

He added that all the work over the last seven years has come at 'significant personal cost' to him.

Although there was a purchase option available to Mr DePree within the agreement, the council pointed out that this would need to be agreed through a business case.

Town hall executives have explained that no viable business cases for Hopwood Hall have been presented to them. This is the reason given for not extending the exclusivity agreement with Mr DePree.

Although town hall bosses have credited Mr DePree with creating worthwhile community engagement projects, they feel the time is right to look into different options to bring the hall back to its former glory.