Work completed on roof of 'Downton Shabby'

Work has been completed on the roof of a Grade II Listed building that is the subject of a High Court battle.

Rochdale Borough Council and Historic England have invested more than half a million pounds into repairing the roof of Hopwood Hall in Middleton to make the building watertight.

This comes after former U.S. filmmaker Hopwood DePree launched a High Court action against the council, who own the building, in September in an attempt to be declared its legal owner.

Mr DePree led work to rescue the hall between 2017 and 2024 with an aim of buying it, after discovering the hall had been in his family for about 400 years.

Mr DePree, who published a book called Downton Shabby in 2022 about his efforts to restore the hall, said he complied with an agreement with Rochdale Borough Council that gave him the option to buy the building.

The council has previously said any sale would depend on Mr DePree having "a commercially viable business model to secure the long term future of the hall".

In November 2024, the council said it had decided not to renew the option agreement after consultants said his plans were "unlikely to be able to secure future public or private funding".

The council said it spent £557,000 between 2017 and 2024 for essential repairs, while the total investment into the building for the most recent roofworks project was £640,000.

Locals also got involved, with Rochdale Development Agency leading an archaeological dig on site.

In addition, Hopwood Hall college students learned about stone carving and leaded window restoration in special workshops.

Neil Emmott, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said an independent feasibility study is also on-going.

"This will help us determine future uses for Hopwood Hall, as we continue to forge a long-term future for this important building for the benefit of local residents," he said.

"Hopwood Hall is an important part of Middleton and the wider borough's heritage."

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