Rochdale Council wins High Court fight over 'Downton Shabby' Hopwood Hall
An American actor and filmmaker has lost his High Court attempt to take ownership of a historic Greater Manchester mansion for £1, leaving the future of Hopwood Hall in the hands of Rochdale Borough Council.
Hopwood DePree, who says he has ancestral ties to the Grade II-listed property in Middleton, said he was “incredibly disappointed” after Judge David Hodge KC ruled against him at the High Court in Manchester.
DePree had argued that a 2017 agreement with Rochdale Council gave him an option to buy the manor house once he secured planning permission to restore and redevelop it. But the judge found the conditions required for ownership to transfer had not been met.
The case has drawn fresh attention to the plight of one of England’s most significant listed buildings. The court heard Hopwood Hall, despite its condition, sits within the top 10% of most important listed buildings in the country.
DePree, an actor and filmmaker, had proposed turning the hall into a wedding venue, hotel accommodation and visitor attraction as part of an effort to bring it back to life. In 2022, however, Rochdale Council decided not to transfer ownership to him and later locked him and a group of volunteers out of the site.
Legal costs in the case were about £150,000, the court heard, and the council is expected to seek an order requiring DePree to pay them. The ruling leaves the council in control of the hall as it weighs its long-term future.
A Rochdale Council spokesperson said the authority was pleased with the judgment.
“It’s a shame that we had to endure a costly court battle to get to this point, as the time and money invested in this process could have been better spent on the hall itself,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that more than £1.6m had been spent on the hall by the council and Historic England since 2017. Investment in vital repairs would continue, they said, while its long-term future was “considered in due course.”
Once restored and refurbished, the building would be “used for the benefit of the wider community of Middleton who rightly cherish it as an important part of Middleton’s rich and varied heritage,” the spokesperson said.
DePree published a 2022 book about his campaign to restore the hall, titled Downton Shabby.
Speaking after the ruling, he said he was “incredibly disappointed” and called it “a sad day.” He said he was discussing next steps with his legal team.
“We are not giving up. Hopwood Hall must be saved,” he said, adding that he had received messages from around the world from people offering money and support.
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