Downton shabby : one American's ultimate DIY adventure restoring his family's English castle

First Title Value for Searching:

Personal Author:

DePree, Hopwood, 1970-

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

305 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm.

Summary:

"HGTV meets Downton Abbey! A ready-for-TV story-with charm and humor in abundance-about a Los Angeles producer who moves to England to save his ancestral castle from ruin"--

Subject Term:

Historic buildings -- Conservation and restoration -- England.

Actors -- Dwellings -- England.

Actors -- Family relationships -- United States.

Publication Info:

New York : William Morrow, [2022]

Subject:

Historic buildings -- Conservation and restoration -- England.

Actors -- Dwellings -- England.

Actors -- Family relationships -- United States.

Middleton (Greater Manchester, England) -- Buildings, structures, etc.

DePree, Hopwood, 1970- -- Homes and haunts -- England.

DePree, Todd Hopwood, 1970-

Stage actors

Theater actors

Theatrical actors

Middleton, Eng. (Lancashire)

Borough of Middleton (Lancashire, England)

SAILS ISBN:

9780063080850

Available:

Library	Shelf Number	Shelf Location	Status
Searching... Dartmouth - Southworth	942 DEP 2022	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Mansfield Public Library	942.73 DEPR	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Middleborough Public Library	942.73 DEP	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Norfolk Public Library	942.73 DEPR	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Pembroke Public Library	942 DEP	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Seekonk Public Library	942.73 DEPREE	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown

Summary

HGTV meets Downton Abbey! A ready-for-TV story--with charm and humor in abundance--about a Los Angeles producer who moves to England to save his ancestral castle from ruin.

"A true delight...In this marvelous debut, film producer DePree leaves the Hollywood hills to resurrect his British ancestral home, a 50,000-square-foot estate in the English countryside. Readers are in for a treat."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Hollywood producer Hopwood DePree had been told as a boy that an ancestor--who he was named for--had left his family's English castle in the 1700s to come to America. One night after some wine and a visit to Ancestry.com, Hopwood discovered a photograph of a magnificent English estate with a familiar name: Hopwood Hall, a 60-room, 600-year-old grand manor on 5,000 acres. And with that, Hopwood DePree's life took an almost fairytale turn.

Hopwood Hall, in northwest England, was indeed his family's ancestral home. It had been occupied continuously by the Hopwood family for five centuries until the last remaining male heirs were killed in World War I. Since then, the Hall had fallen gradually into disrepair and was close to collapse. When Hopwood visited, he discovered trees growing in the chimneys, holes in the roof, and water sluicing down walls. It would take many millions to save the Hall--millions that Hopwood certainly didn't have--but despite the fact that he lived in Los Angeles and had no construction skills, Hopwood DePree came to a conclusion: He would save Hopwood Hall.

Downton Shabby--the name Hopwood coined for the glorious ruin--traces Hopwood DePree's adventures as he gives up his life in Hollywood and moves permanently to England to save Hopwood Hall from ruin. But the task is far too big for one person, of course. Hopwood discovers that the Hall comes with an unforgettable cast of new neighbors he can call on for help--from the electrician whose mum had fond memories of working at the Hall to gruff caretaker Bob, and the local aristocrats who (sort of) come to accept Hopwood as one of their own. Together, as they navigate the trials and triumphs of trying to save an actual castle, Hopwood finds himself ever further from the security of his old life, but comes to realize that, actually, he's never been closer to home.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this marvelous debut, film producer DePree leaves the Hollywood hills to resurrect his British ancestral home, a 50,000-square-foot estate in the English countryside. After losing his grandfather and father in the span of two years, DePree found solace in tracing his family genealogy. He was astonished when, in 2013, while perusing the internet, he stumbled upon Hopwood Hall, the real-life 600-year-old castle that often featured in his Pap's childhood stories. During the inaugural pilgrimage with his mother and family to see it in person ("Even under clouds," he writes of the lovingly dubbed "Downton Shabby," "it was a magical sight"), DePree counted 2,710 small windows that needed repair. Determined to save the dilapidated and empty estate from ruin--despite having no construction experience--he sold his Los Angeles home and, over the next four years, dedicated his life to a daunting renovation ("It was like the hall and I had been dating, and now it was time for me to... put a ring on her finger"). While his self-deprecating humor about the challenges of navigating grants--and being somewhat clueless about English culture--entertain, it's his wonderment following some unexpected help from the community that makes this DIY fairy tale a true delight. Readers are in for a treat. (May)

Booklist Review

In this delightful memoir, a midlife crisis propels a "madcap" journey from Hollywood producer to unlikely champion of a crumbling fifteenth-century manor house near Manchester, England. DePree is ready for a change when he comes across a photograph online that confirms his grandfather's story of an ancestral castle. Soon, the "clueless Yank" embraces a new purpose: to save the once-grand Hopwood Hall. He can produce big projects, but he doesn't know anything about historic restoration and doesn't have the millions it will cost. Help comes his way from a memorable cast of characters--even, eventually, from a nearby neighbor carrying a 500-year-old grudge! DePree spins his tale with charm and self-deprecating humor, especially when recounting his run-ins with British manners and vocabulary. Sincere, thoughtful reflections on being "comfortable in [one's] own skin" balance the humor nicely. Well-crafted descriptions of architectural detail, family history, and famous visitors, notably Lord Byron, add depth and interest. "By degrees" (the family's heraldic motto), Hopwood Hall's fortunes turn around, and DePree realizes he has landed precisely where he should be.

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Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review