Downton Shabby
One American's Ultimate DIY Adventure Restoring His Family's English Castle
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4.4 • 17 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
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.
What happens when a Hollywood producer trades his cushy LA life for a crumbling English castle with a leaky roof and a grumpy caretaker?
A Hilarious DIY Adventure: Follow the heartfelt journey of saving a 600-year-old manor, from pulling trees out of chimneys to tackling dry rot with the unforgettable caretaker, Bob.American in England: Laugh along as Hopwood DePree navigates the quirks of the English countryside, from local humor to the proper time for tea (and what in the world black pudding is).Finding Purpose: More than a renovation story, this is a memoir about trading Hollywood glamour for a deeper connection to ancestry, community, and the true meaning of home.For Fans of British Humor: Filled with witty observations and charming, self-deprecating humor that will delight any Anglophile who loves shows like Escape to the Chateau.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
