The National Lottery Heritage Fund awards £250,000 to Hopwood Hall Estate

The Hopwood Foundation has been awarded a grant of a quarter of a million pounds by The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards the preservation and conservation of Hopwood Hall Estate.

Hopwood Hall is a Grade-II* listed manor dating back centuries with 16th, 17th, and 18th century fabric and 20th century additions.

It is currently being restored by American actor and comedian Hopwood DePree, a descendent of the Hopwood family who owned the house before the last two male heirs in England were tragically killed in action in World War One.

The major grant to the foundation will bring the project to the next level of community engagement and enable the foundation to ramp-up essential repairs and improve the visitor experience. The grant is being supported by Rochdale Borough Council with an additional £100,000 match funding - bringing the total to £350,000.

The grant monies will be used to make the hall safe and accessible by installing temporary flooring throughout the ground floor (currently large areas are unsafe and cannot be seen); to renovate a welcome centre at the hall which will include a community engagement area with refreshments, a mini-theatre, and a gift shop showcasing local goods, crafts and artwork.

 

 

Three positions will now be able to be filled at Hopwood Hall Estate: A project manager to coordinate the renovations; a community engagement officer to support the dedicated volunteers and the visitor experience and public engagement, and a relationship manager to oversee future fundraising activities and opportunities.

Helen Featherstone, director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “Investing in heritage means investing in the community it belongs to, which is why we’re thrilled to award this grant for the restoration of Hopwood Hall. Thanks to National Lottery players, this amazing heritage building will be restored to its former glory, safeguarding its future so that local people and visitors from further afield can enjoy it for years to come.”

 

 

Hopwood DePree, chair of the Hopwood Foundation said: “This grant and the application for which has been many hours in the making - is such a tremendous result. It is a huge boost for our mission and is a testament to the total dedication by local volunteers and wider constituencies to revive this incredible historic property.

“When I started my mission to save Hopwood Hall, back in 2013 I knew that it would take a bit of a miracle given the task at hand, but that’s what dreams are made of and together we are now well on the way to achieving those dreams thanks to the belief of many people and their hard work, as well as the belief in our efforts by key heritage organisations such as The National Lottery Heritage Fund.”
 

Read more: Phase II restoration of Hopwood Hall Estate now completePublished: 27 April 2023

Councillor Danny Meredith, cabinet member for regeneration and housing at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We fully support the work of the Hopwood Foundation and we are keen see this important piece of Middleton’s history restored and brought back into use, that’s why we have put £100,000 into the funding bid to further support this project.”