A long-running dispute over the future of Hopwood Hall in Middleton is heading to trial, as American actor and writer Hopwood DePree launches legal proceedings against Rochdale Council.
Mr DePree, who moved to the UK in 2017 after discovering his ancestral link to the 15th-century manor, has accused the council of failing to follow through on a long-term restoration agreement. Following an initial hearing at the High Court of Justice in Manchester, a judge has ruled the case should proceed to trial in April.
The Grade II-listed building, once the seat of the Hopwood family, had fallen into advanced dereliction. DePree spent seven years working alongside the council to stabilise the site, attract investment, and develop a business plan for full restoration. But in November 2024, Rochdale Council abruptly ended its exclusivity agreement with him, claiming no “commercially viable” proposal had been delivered.
In a statement following this week’s hearing, Mr DePree said:
Rochdale Council can no longer hide. After 14 months of denials, delays and refusals to be transparent, they had to face us in the court. The goal of my team and I has always been to save Hopwood Hall from more dereliction and total destruction and restoring it to its former glory to be enjoyed by all.
The story has gained widespread media attention in both the UK and United States, with The Guardian calling it a battle over ‘Downton Shabby’, and The Wall Street Journal describing the saga as “a fairytale gone wrong.” Manchester Evening News reported the dispute could mark a landmark legal fight over heritage rights and public accountability.
In earlier statements, council leader Cllr Neil Emmott said the council had invested £1.7 million into saving the structure and was commissioning an independent feasibility study to explore its future use.
Residents have expressed hope that the court would allow DePree to resume the restoration and prevent the hall from being sold off or left to decay.
Rochdale Council was approached for comment and declined.
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