The Manchester Evening News tells the story of Hopwood Hall in Middleton, a grand family home for centuries now in a precarious state after being left empty and ravaged by the elements, so emergency repair work has begun to stop an historic home from crumbling.
The Manchester Evening News writes:
Hopwood Hall in Middleton was a grand family home for centuries, but is now in a precarious state after being left empty and ravaged by the elements. A new push to save the hall was launched by American actor and director Hopwood DePree, who left his home in the Hollywood Hills last year to help the fight to restore the building, which his English ancestors are said to have founded in the 12th Century.
Now workers are on the site carrying out emergency work to stop the hall from deteriorating any further, following a successful grant application to Historic England, which was matched by Rochdale council. Over the past six years the authority has spent almost £200,000 maintaining the hall, and has now agreed to a further £137,000. The initial work will focus on making the building structurally sound and watertight. A recent inspection revealed that part of a ceiling designed by Arts and Crafts architect Edgar Wood had started to fracture and collapse after heavy rainfall. The ceiling is in the same room as the Lord Byron fireplace, named for one of the hall’s most well known visitors who was said to have been inspired by the surrounding woods when writing Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage…
Heritage conservationist Bob Wall, who has worked tirelessly as caretaker to help save the hall over the past 15 years added: ‘Hopwood Hall Estate has such exceptional features and is rooted in a rich history of the area. It’s vital that it is saved for the local community as well as the nation. Both Hopwood and I are on a mission to secure its future.’…
The building has been extended and re-purposed numerous times over the centuries but still retains many features, such as Jacobean carvings, ornate ceilings and stone fireplaces. It was last used for education, before falling derelict more than 20 years ago. Charles Smith, assistant planning director for Historic England, said: ‘Historic England is delighted to be supporting these urgent repair works, which are the first step towards transforming the fortunes of the grade II* listed Hopwood Hall. From its astonishing collection of continental carvings through to its intriguing links with Lord Byron, Hopwood Hall is a fascinating building that deserves to secure a sustainable future. We will continue to work closely with Hopwood DePree and Rochdale Council to help this former manor house on its path to recovery.’
Peter Barlow, heritage at risk architect at Historic England, added: ‘;With any historic building, the priority is always to ensure that it is structurally stable, as well as wind and watertight. This first phase of works that Historic England is jointly funding with Rochdale Council will focus on the most historic core of Hopwood Hall, helping to prevent the continued decay that has led to the building being added to our Heritage at Risk Register.’
