Hollywood filmmaker in council battle after being 'locked out' of 'Downton Shabby' mansion

Hollywood filmmaker in council battle after being 'locked out' of 'Downton Shabby' mansion Hopwood DePree, 56, says Rochdale Borough Council locked him out of his family’s 600-year-old home - despite years spent trying to rescue the historic property A Hollywood filmmaker has launched a legal battle to regain ownership of a crumbling ancestral mansion dubbed “Downton Shabby”. Hopwood DePree, 56, says Rochdale Borough Council locked him out of his family’s 600-year-old home - despite years spent trying to rescue the historic property.

His legal team will argue the authority “simply changed its mind” after he secured planning permission for Hopwood Hall in Middleton, Greater Manchester. Mr DePree said: “They attempted to pull the plug on the project and locked us out. That was a complete shock to the community.