Filmmaker loses High Court bid to take ownership of Hopwood Hall

Hollywood filmmaker Hopwood DePree has lost his High Court case against Rochdale Borough Council over access to his family’s ancestral home, Hopwood Hall. The ruling means the 2017 agreement to transfer the Grade II-listed hall to him for £1 was not triggered, despite planning permission and years of restoration work.

DePree, 56, found the 600-year-old building in disrepair in 2013 and says he invested about £750,000 after securing permission in 2022 to use it as an events venue. The council closed the site in 2024, citing health and safety concerns, and argued that the permission covered a change of use rather than the refurbishment works required by the agreement. Judge David Hodge KC agreed that the permission was insufficient; DePree called the decision a “huge blow” and said his team was considering its next steps.