Phase II restoration of Hopwood Hall Estate now complete

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The Phase II restoration of Hopwood Hall Estate is now completed and is another key step forward in the extensive phased renovation of the historic house.

Hopwood Hall is a Grade-II* listed manor dating back centuries with 16th,17th, and 18th century fabric and 20th century additions.

It is currently being restored by American actor and comedian Hopwood DePree, a descendent of the Hopwood family who owned the house before the last two male heirs in England were tragically killed in action in World War One.

Hopwood, who is leading the restoration of his ancestral home, says: "This completion of the latest works is fantastic news as we can now really see the extraordinary Hopwood Hall taking shape again.

"In collaboration with Historic England and Rochdale Council we have been able to secure the much needed funding, and the professionalism of Seven Architects in conjunction with our contractor, Restoration Projects, ensures that the specifications and workmanship are true to the hall’s Grade-II* historical significance.

"This also means that the renovations are taking time, but it is essential to preserve Hopwood Hall for future generations by protecting the all-important craftsmanship and longevity of the buildings.

"Personally, it has been an honour for me to invest in the project and working with the passionate community has been a true highpoint.

He added: "This Phase II was crucial as it focused on areas of the Hall which had been in need of rescue for decades with the ensuing collapse of walls and ceilings, plus water ingress (until the roof was re-sealed in Phase 1) and in terms of the old servants’ wing, I had been told it was unlikely that this area of the Hall would make it through another winter."

The works included in Phase II are: the former servants wing re-roofed and stabilised, the chimneys rebuilt and re-pointed, a new slate roof laid and the wooden fascia replaced around the roof.

The repair and slating of the roof was rather a ‘race against time’, too as the bat roosting season was fast approaching – so Hopwood and team needed to invite the bat specialists to the Hall to confirm that no bats were roosting in the roof – and then complete the works before the bats returned to their home.

Hopwood continued: "We filmed a nearly 30 minutes long video capturing the 'before and after' of the renovation works at the Hall and put that up on our YouTube channel here. Within hours of going online, the viewership has extended across over 50 countries, with people watching from everywhere from America to Australia to Iceland.

"The video is already at 100,000 views and steadily growing. It is stunning to see this and I feel incredibly grateful that so many people are interested in the project and supporting us.

"It is very precious to know that there is incredible support from the local community but also from many other places around the world.”

After Hopwood Hall was lost from the English Hopwoods, it fell into disrepair, inching ever closer to ruin. The English Hopwoods were long gone and, generations later, the American branch of the family had lost track that the Hall still existed, other than DePree’s grandfather who told ‘stories’ to him as a young boy about a Hopwood ‘Castle’ in England long ago.

Years later, Hopwood as an adult with a growing interest in genealogy, stumbled across the Hall while surfing the web in LA and realised this could be the ‘mythical’ Hopwood Castle. Young Hopwood had always assumed his grandfather made up the castle story to entertain him, but Hopwood Hall was very real, and he discovered, in a frighteningly fragile state in danger of being lost forever.

The American actor and comedian, with no carpentry experience or real ties to England beyond the Hall itself, stepped in and Hopwood now has an exclusive legal agreement with the council to enable him to have up to five years to rescue the 12th century manor.

He will then assume full possession of his ancestral home, which has lain vacant for 30 years and is now on Historic England’s 'At Risk' register.

Phase III of the works are expected to start in a few months’ time and more information will be available soon.

To visit Hopwood’s Youtube channel please go to: www.YouTube.com/HopwoodXIV