West MI man works to restore ‘Downton Shabby’ in England

[@PeterJPickles]

I am from Hopwood in Heywood, Lancashire, England :) He is doing the area a great service :)

[@sharonschauer3257]

I had no idea he was from Michigan. I've been following his channel

[@Tawadeb]

It's a beautiful place

[@rbrooks738]

Vary cool

[@tarjakitty]

Really wood TV 8 amber heard of west Michigan. Didnt want to tell the people about that 4.79. Gas prices. Great job as always

[@ItsMe-yv9jd]

Gotta say, I am disappointed to discover that the 5000 acres of private woodland that once belonged to Hopwood Hall was parcelled and sold off, and now the historic country manor house is stuck in the middle of a concrete, paved, college campus, (the original country manor house with it's glorious views of endless forests and colorful rose gardens, is now a crumbling mess completely surrounded with ghastly views of a noisy shopping mall at the back door and a smelly zoo at the front door.) Now I can better understand why nobody in their right mind would ever choose to try and restore that money pit, or hope to make it into a popular tourist attraction, as it's unique attraction as 'a romantic country manor house trapped in time, in a land far far away' has been lost forever, by the people that sold off all the land and allowed a college to build right next to it! Clearly the American guy that recently discovered his abandoned ancestral country manor house online is thinking emotionally, and not rationally, (he cannot see the forest for the trees.) He has allowed his judgement to get the better of him, in a desperate attempt to save his abandoned ancestral home and restore it, while depending on the donation of millions in tax dollars to do so. (It's one thing for the government to donate millions of hard earned British tax dollars to restoration/heritage projects, when the economy is booming, but the global economy has been in the toilet for decades and government debt is now at an all time, record high... if he's depending on the government donating the tens of millions of tax dollars needed to restore that country manor house, the lost rose gardens, and redecorate and furnish the interiors, (for the next 5 years or more) it's not a pragmatic or reliable approach going forward, (government donations could stop any day.) If he wants to spend tens of millions of his own money, to restore his abandoned ancestral home, then that's his business... while you have to admire Hopwood Depree's positive spirit and good intentions, I think he's fighting a losing battle. Firstly, the country manor house is stuck in the middle of a busy college campus... and you can be sure the college wants that crumbling eyesore gone, yesterday, so they can build student housing or more administrative buildings on that land. Secondly, nobody will be interested in visiting that country manor house when it is restored, for various reasons... it's a dying generation of baby boomers that are attracted to those old country manor houses, (as is evident by the group of elderly 'volunteers' working in the garden, that grew up with dated notions of princesses and castles, cowboys and trains.) You can be sure this new generation is not going to make a special trip to see an old country manor house, out in the middle of nowhere... especially when they can't be bothered to leave the house to go to the mall, or cook dinner, or go on a date, (as they simply go online, sit back and have it delivered.) Thirdly, there is too much competition for this historic country manor house, to be a money maker. Sad to say, but there are any number of a dozen bigger and better historic country manor houses like Hopwood Hall, all across Britain, that are already established tourist attractions, (they all offer vast private woodlands surrounding the country manor house with amazing views from each room, the mature botanical gardens, the lush interiors filled with collections of priceless art and rare antiques and the historical figures attached to them... and they're all struggling financially with the constant decline of paying tourists.) The only thing that Hopwood Hall has going for it, is the unique historic and architectural elements, (there are no established gardens, no interiors filled with collections of priceless art and antiques.) If that historic country manor house is going to have any chance at being restored properly and survive the next 100 years, the historic and architectural portions need to be taken apart and transported, to be rebuilt elsewhere... either as a private home on a large secluded country estate in Britain or America, (with a sympathetic, historically accurate new addition added to it, for every day living) or the historic country manor house portion should be donated and transported to an existing metropolitan museum complex in Britain or America, as an additional museum tourist attraction used to display a collection of priceless British art and rare antiques. (Once the historic country manor house is delivered and rebuilt elsewhere, the forgettable newer portions can be demolished and the college can finally use the vacant land to develop as they choose.) I think Hopwood Depree would agree that the historic country manor house, where it is unfortunately located now, would never have been ideal as a private family home for himself, or as a boutique hotel/retreat for paying guests, or as a popular tourist attraction. I think he would welcome the idea of the historic portion of Hopwood Hall remaining in one piece and maintained by people with the money to do so. He could then move back to California to be with his family and friends, and live his life... knowing that his heartfelt effort was not in vain, and his families ancestral country manor house is safe and sound, and it will be appreciated for the next one hundred years or more.

[@keithbill310]

It looks like a massive money pit....

[@jeffreyskinner7167]

Many millions bit its going to be magnificent .

[@traceyl1634]

Tead the book and subscribe to the channel. Love it!

[@Tawadeb]

Book is amazing