A Hollywood filmmaker who spent more than a decade attempting to rescue his family’s ancestral mansion, nicknamed “Downton Shabby”, has lost his High Court challenge.
Hopwood DePree, 56, had been leading efforts to restore 600-year-old Hopwood Hall in Middleton, Greater Manchester, after the historic property fell into serious disrepair.
The filmmaker, who is from Michigan in the United States, discovered the hall in 2013 while researching his family history. He found the building in a derelict condition, with shattered windows, collapsing ceilings and water running down the walls.
Mr DePree said he reached an agreement with Rochdale Borough Council (RBC) in 2017 to acquire the Grade II-listed property for £1. In 2022, he was granted planning permission to transform the hall into an events venue and invested around £750,000 in its restoration.
However, Rochdale Council withdrew its consent in 2024, citing alleged health and safety breaches. The building was subsequently closed, leaving Mr DePree and his team unable to access the historic site.
A High Court judge has now ruled against Mr DePree, finding that the conditions attached to the proposed transfer of ownership had not been met. The decision means he will not regain access to Hopwood Hall.
Hollywood filmmaker Hopwood DePree has lost his High Court challenge against Rochdale Borough Council over access to his ancestral home
A judge ruled that the planning permission granted in 2022 was not enough to trigger the transfer of ownership to Mr DePree. (Pictured: Hopwood Hall in Middleton, five miles north of Manchester)
Mr DePree found the hall in a derelict state, with broken windows, collapsing ceilings and water running down the walls. (Pictured: the interior during restoration work carried out by Mr DePree)
At Manchester Civil Justice Centre on Wednesday, His Honour Judge David Hodge KC refused to grant relief, ruling that the 2022 planning permission did not satisfy the requirements needed to transfer the property to Mr DePree.
Judge Hodge said the case was “not about perceived grievances”, but “simply a matter of contractual interpretation”.
He said: “Having read and heard in court, both parties want to restore Hopwood Hall and bring it back to life and to its former glory.
“In my judgment, the defendant’s submission better fits the option agreement. I therefore refuse to grant relief.”
After the ruling, Mr DePree described the result as “incredibly disappointing” and a “huge blow” to his community, supporters and charitable heritage rescue groups across Britain.
He said: “Please know that my team and I are already determining our legal options and next steps. We will be watching closely to monitor Rochdale Borough Council’s efforts to save Hopwood Hall for the community and restore it to its former glory.”
The dispute centred on whether the planning permission secured by Mr DePree in 2022 was sufficient to activate a 2017 agreement that he says entitled him to have the hall transferred to him for £1.
The council argued that the permission covered only a “change of use” and did not authorise the physical refurbishment work it said had to be completed before the transfer could be exercised.
Mr DePree’s legal team argued that the agreement did not require a single, comprehensive planning permission covering every aspect of the restoration, which was expected to cost tens of millions of pounds.
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Mr DePree said he had invested around £750,000 of his own money in the restoration project
An aerial view of Hopwood Hall, which had been derelict for years
The court heard even if Mr DePree was to put in planning permission for the refurbishment he would ‘still need change of use permission’, and it ‘doesn’t make sense’ for him to spend money on planning permission when ‘he didn’t need it’.
Mr Piers Riley Smith, co-counsel for the defendant, argued the claimants ‘use of planning in the case was used to complicate rather than clarify’.
He mentioned several ‘red herrings’ including surrounding the ‘scope of permissions’ of the agreed works and details on their ‘spatial extent’.
But Geraint Wheatley, barrister for RBC, raised concerns around the claimant’s determination of the full planning permission definition which he says ‘they ignored.’
He also referenced that Mr DePree is not an ‘experienced developer’.
Following the judgment, a council spokesperson said they were ‘pleased’ with the judgment but added it was ‘a shame that we had to endure a costly court battle’.
They added the hall would be ‘used for the benefit of the wider community’ in future.
Dating from 1426, Hopwood Hall has a rich history – with Guy Fawkes staying there, as well as Lord Byron who finished his celebrated poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage at the home.
Dating from 1426, Hopwood Hall has a rich history: Guy Fawkes stayed there as did Lord Byron who finished his celebrated poem ‘Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage’ there
It is also said to have had connections with Mr DePree’s ancestors that date back 400 years to his 17th century relative John Hopwood.
Mr DePree was not aware of the building’s existence until 2013, but relocated to Britain to restore the property with the help of volunteers and heritage experts.
He claims to have invested around £750,000 of his own money into the restoration project and documented the journey in a book, called Downton Shabby.
Mr DePree previously said the restoration would be a tribute not just to the community, but to his late grandfather, who read him bedtime stories as a child about an English castle.
‘It would be an incredible day to see Hopwood Hall restored,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘Not only for myself after everything we’ve gone through, but also for my grandfather who has passed away.’
It is thought Mr DePree plans to appeal the court’s decision.
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