Successful producer moves to former northern industrial town to restore his family's ancestral country pile - which he didn't even know existed until four years ago

• Hopwood DePree, 47, discovered his link to the Grade II* listed building while researching his ancestry 
• Parts of Hopwood Hall date back to the 14 century and counts Guy Fawkes among its many previous guests
• Poet Lord Byron stayed in the hall in 1811 and even gave the family the gift of an ornate fireplace 
• DePree has received funding from Historic England and Rochdale Council to save the historic building 

 A Hollywood director who discovered his ancestors lived in a stately home in Rochdale has started refurbishing the run-down estate after securing a grant of £276,000 from Historic England for critical structural repairs. 

Hopwood DePree, 47, discovered he was a direct descendant of the family who built Hopwood Hall in the 14th century and remained in the property until the 1940s.

Gunpowder plot conspirator Guy Fawkes visited Edmund Hopwood - who was a noted witch hunter - before his botched bombing attempt. Poet Lord Byron also stayed at Hopwood Hall in 1811 even giving the family the gift of a fireplace which survives to this day. 

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Hollywood producer Hopwood DePree has been granted £276,000 in funding from Historic England to begin the project of saving his ancestral home, Hopwood Hall, pictured, which dates from the 14th century 

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The 47-year-old American is a direct descendant of the Hopwood family who lived in Rochdale for more than 600 years

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The house passed out of the family's ownership when Colonel Edward Hopwood died in 1942 having lost both his sons during the First World War

DePree left his home in LA after discovering his ancestral link with Greater Manchester and has launched a project to refurbish the building which could cost between £6 million and £10 million. As well as the grant from Historic England, Rochdale Council have also committed funding to save the home which was once owned by his great-great-grandparents.

He will live in the Grade II* listed 60 room house while the refurbishment work is underway. The American arrived in the UK last summer on a three-year visa. 

DePree's ancestors emigrated to the United States in the 1700s and it is believed George Washington gave land to John Hopwood in 1791. 

However, in the late 19th Century, the last Hopwood in America Alicinda Hopwood married Newton Black. Although, male heirs - such as the current resident of the hall - were given the first name Hopwood to remember their heritage He told The Guardian: 'I am primarily doing this for the local community, to bring this wonderful building back to life for local people to enjoy.' 

The final member of the family to live at the Hall was Colonel Edward Hopwood in 1942. His two sons were both killed during the First World War. 

It was taken over by the Lancaster Cotton Corporation before the De La Salle brothers bought it in 1947 for a teacher training college. 

However, it has been since left to rot and was under threat of collapse. 

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Hopwood DePree's branch of the family emigrated to the US in the 1700s and first born males from his side of the family have been called Hopwood to keep the family's name alive after Alicinda Hopwood married Newton Black in the early 19th century

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The house was later used as a teacher training college until it fell into disrepair and was at risk of collapse 

DePree has signed a legal agreement with the local council who are the current owners and Historic England to begin the work to save the Hall. 

During the works, the Michigan-born director will be allowed to live in his ancestral home. One of the first rooms he visited was where his 14th great grandfather was born.

He told The Times: 'It’s going to need a full restoration. Everything from the floors, walls to the roof, down to the cellar. Everything needs to be reworked and preserved.'

He said once the renovation is complete, he would like the hall to become a centre for the arts and possibly even hosting a film festival. He previously held a film festival in his home state of Michigan.  

He added: 'It would be a really nice retreat for people from many international places, and I think many artists from the USA would like to stay in a place like Hopwood Hall for a week or month as a retreat and also work on projects to benefit the local community.' 

According to Rochdale Online, North West Assistant Director of Historic England said: 'Hopwood Hall is one of Greater Manchester’s most important surviving manor houses. From its rare 16th century timber framed hall and astonishing collection of continental carvings, through to its links with Lord Byron and more recent use as a Roman Catholic training base, the site is steeped in history. 

'Historic England is delighted to be grant aiding Rochdale Council, and working closely with Hopwood DePree, to undertake critical structural repairs to the most important parts of this fascinating Grade II* listed building.'

Cllr Janet Emsley added: 'I’m really pleased that our application to Historic England has been successful. This money will enable us to carry out urgent repairs on the most significant parts of this building and will help protect it against further damage.

'The council has spent almost £190,000 maintaining Hopwood Hall since 2012, but the nature of this building and its unique historical assets mean that a lot more work needs to be done. This grant money is another step forward for this important project and will give Hopwood a good headstart on his plans to redevelop his ancestral home, in partnership with the council.' 

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DePree, pictured, has been granted permission by Historic England to live in the house for five years while the work to save the historic property is underway 

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Historic England had placed the Grade II* listed property on its 'At Risk' register claiming it was in very poor condition

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Emergency work is currently underway to secure the structure ahead of a major renovation project

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Some parts of the historic building date from the 14th century while later generations expanded the 60-room property

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Many of the original features such as these carvings from the Jacobean period on a fireplace  survive to this day

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Depree said he hopes to raise some of the funds to refurbish the Hall himself over the next five years

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Among the many guests who stayed at Hopwood Hall are Guido Fawkes and the renowned poet Lord Byron

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Unfortunately, thieves had previously targeted the building stripping lead from the roof allowing water to flood inside

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DePree is currently in the UK on a three-year visa and hopes much of the renovation work can be completed in this time

Amazing five-bed £1.8m Cheshire mansion could be yours for just £5 as owners launch raffle after failing to sell it because it is not EXPENSIVE enough

• Helena and John Rowton have been trying to sell Burton Hall in Cheshire since 2014 and even reduced price
• Now their son Ben has stepped in and the couple hope to sell 379,000 £5 tickets by April 2 next year
• Property has four bathrooms, two kitchens, a music room and 1.5acres - and was on market for £1.725m
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A stunning £1.8million Grade II*-listed mansion could be yours for just a fiver after the owners decided to raffle it off.

Helena and John Rowton tried to sell Burton Hall in Cheshire back in 2014 for £1.875million, before reducing it to £1.725million last year with no success.

But now estate agent Lindsay Cuthill says the property might have been struggling to sell because 'it isn't expensive enough'. 

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This stunning £1.8million Grade II*-listed mansion could be yours for just a fiver after the owners decided to raffle it off

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Burton Hall in Cheshire boasts two kitchens (pictured) and 1.5acres - but the owners couldn't sell the property even after reducing the asking price £1.875million to £1.725million last year after it spent three years on the market

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The house is beautifully decorated but estate agent Lindsay Cuthill has said the property might have been struggling to sell because 'it isn't expensive enough'

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If you're sick of spending time in the house, you can nip outside and enjoy the 1.5acre gardens which come with a lake (pictured)

She told the Sunday Times: 'It sounds ridiculous, but this might be the price range of the squeezed middle.

'In London, £2million might get you a terraced house with low running costs.

But a long way from the capital, £2million might buy a large property — and it might cost £120,000 a year in upkeep. That’s a lot.'

Mrs Rowton's son decided to step in after she began suffering health problems, and now the family are hoping to sell 379,000 £5 tickets by April 2 next year. 

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She said: 'In London, £2million might get you a terraced house with low running costs. But a long way from the capital, £2million might buy a large property — and it might cost £120,000 a year in upkeep. That’s a lot'

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After giving up on selling the property the usual way after falling ill, Helena Rowton asked her son for help, and that's when they decided to raffle off the property (pictured: the landscaped gardens)

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The family are hoping to sell 379,000 £5 tickets by April 2 next year so they can cover their legal fees and hand over a bonus £50,000 cash prize to the eventual winner

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To avoid falling foul of lottery laws, the family will be asking entrants a skill- or knowledge-based question - but other than that, winning the property is down to pure chance (pictured: one of the living rooms)

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According to the RightMove page for the property, Burton Hall was built in the late 16th century and has a triple carport and a stable outside (pictured: the house at night)

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Pictured is just one of four luxurious bathrooms within the property which features a huge free-standing bathtub

To avoid falling foul of lottery laws, the family will be asking entrants a skill- or knowledge-based question - but other than that, winning the property is down to pure chance. 

According to the RightMove page for the property, Burton Hall was built in the late 16th century and has a triple carport and a stable outside.

The five-bedroom 3,400 sq ft home boasts four bathrooms, a music room, two kitchens, a laundry room and 1.5acres of land.

One lucky winner will have the chance to enjoy the landscaped gardens that come complete with a lake. 

Mrs Rowton said: 'People were interested in what it looks like inside, and everyone said it was gorgeous. 

'But, even though it’s manageable to run, historic homes are a hard sell. People are frightened of them.' 

How do I raffle off my home? 

Lotteries cannot be held for commercial gain or profit, so home-owners considering raffling off their house would need to run the raffle to benefit a charity or other not-for-profit cause.

Those who want to keep the money gained for themselves must either hold a free prize draw or add a competition element to the raffle. 

Competitors should have to prove their skill, knowledge or judgment in order to win the top prize.

Many people get around this by asking an incredibly simple question such as 'what style of property is this house: A – Victorian, B – Tudor or C – Georgian' when people pay for their raffle ticket. Dunstan Low used this question last year when he raffled off his £800,000 country manor.

It is also important to have watertight terms and conditions, such as a setting a minimum number of tickets in order for the raffle to ahead.

Although getting a house for the cost of a coffee is a great deal, the winner will still have to pay stamp duty on the house based on the open market value.

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The house has five bedrooms (pictured) including a large master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and twin walk-in wardrobes  

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On top of the beautiful living rooms, pictured, the mansion boasts a music room and a laundry room

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Mrs Rowton said: 'People were interested in what it looks like inside, and everyone said it was gorgeous. But, even though it’s manageable to run, historic homes are a hard sell. People are frightened of them'

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The beautiful home has a neutral decor throughout and even has wood stores outside for keeping the fire going