Hopwood Hall Estate regeneration gains momentum

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The regeneration of the Hopwood Hall Estate is continuing to gather momentum after the first grant was received on Friday (4 May).

The renovation is being led by Hopwood DePree, an actor/producer from Los Angeles and a descendant of the Hopwood Family, whose ancestral home was Hopwood Hall from when it was built until the 1920s. It has sat vacant for 30 years and is on Historic England’s 'At Risk' register.

The first grant, awarded by Architectural Heritage Fund, match-funded by Rochdale Borough Council, will enable a study to assess the viability of the Grade-II* listed Hall to go ahead.

Mr DePree, who is understandably excited about the grant to the ‘Friends of Hopwood Hall Estate’, said: "We are thrilled with all the support from the community, the media, The Architectural Heritage Fund, Historic England and Rochdale Council. It is making it possible to save Hopwood Hall and keep this important part of history alive."

In recent months, there has been a flurry of media interest surrounding Hopwood and his exploits, featuring in The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Times, The Daily Express, BBC Radio 5 Live, Spear's Magazine, Country & Town House Magazine, Historic Houses Magazine, Good Morning Britain and The Telegraph.

Last week, Hopwood's feat was covered by ‘Marketplace’ the largest business radio show in the USA with 14 million listeners.

The Friends are also in the midst of planning an upcoming social gathering for all Friends of Hopwood Hall Estate, expected to take place in a few weeks.

The old hall dates back to feudal days, and still retains many structural and architectural features from the 14th century right until present day. The original hall was of early timber construction, rebuilt in Tudor brick by John Hopwood during 1687-90. Painstakingly intricate wood carvings, hundreds of years old, can be found covering the walls inside the hall.

The estate is also recently received a grant of at least £276,000 from Historic England for critical structural repairs, also match-funded by the Council.

This will enable the Hall to be stablised and weather-proofed, a milestone in the renovations as historically significant parts of the building are in danger of collapsing at any moment. 

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/117695/hopwood-hall-estate-to-receive-%C2%A3276000-repairs-grant-from-historic-england

Some famous names who visited Hopwood Hall include Guy Fawkes, who visited Edmund Hopwood, a witch hunter, when he was in Manchester planning the Gunpowder Plot, and Lord Bryon, who stayed at the Hall in 1811. An ornate fireplace is nicknamed the ‘Byron Fireplace’, part of which is thought to have been gifted by the noble and installed by renowned Middleton architect, Edgar Wood.

Hopwood has an exclusive legal agreement with the council to enable him to have up to five years to rescue the Hall before he assumes full possession of his ancestral home.

Following the death of Robert’s widow, Mary, Edward Gregge took over the hall in 1773, assuming the name Hopwood by an act of Parliament.

In 1942, Colonel Edward Hopwood, ‘the finest shot in Europe’ died at the age of 97 after allowing the hall to fall into disrepair. Both his sons were killed in the First World War; in memoriam, he planted the Verdun oak tree at St Leonard's Church in Middleton, which still stands today. His daughters married and moved away.

Hopwood Hall was then taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation before the manor house was acquired in 1947 by the De La Salle brothers for their teacher training college.

During the 1960s, new living, teaching and administrative quarters were built for 600 students, and the Hall became a centre for students. 

Hopwood Hall College, which sits nearby on part of the original grounds of the stately home from which it takes its name, opened in 1990, offering A-levels and vocational courses.