Many people searching genealogy websites for information about their ancestors encounter good, bad and ugly. Michigan-born actor, screenwriter and producer Hopwood DePree found an abandoned estate in the English countryside. DePree, 52, had a spray tan and deep unfamiliarity with British customs, norms and manners and came up with a plan to rescue the neglected 60-room, 600-year-old mansion. Hopwood Hall used to have butlers, maids, cooks, cleaners, carriage drivers, farmers, beekeepers, blacksmiths, butchers, weavers, wood cutter, carpenters, stablehands, horsemen and ice keepers. It was ruined when DePree moved to England to rescue Hopwood Hall. USA TODAY wrote about this in 2019. After seeing the story, a U.S. literary agent asked DePree to turn it into a book. The book is called "Downton Shabby: One American's Ultimate Do-it-yourself Adventure Restoring His Family's English Castle". On May 31, it will be published by William Morrow. How a Hollywood guy is saving his ancestral home. A lightly edited Q&A with DePree was conducted in London this week before he traveled to the U.S. for the launch of the book. The Hall has made a lot of progress over the past few years and the ghost of Lady Hopwood, my distant cousin, must be happy with that. The local community stepped in with support even during the lockdowns. We stopped the majority of the roof leaks, repaired scores of leaded-glass windows that had been smashed in vandal attacks, and uncovered the former gardens underneath decades of overgrowth and mudflow. The old servants wing is in the middle of being saved with a grant from Historic England. DePree has heard a lot of fascinating stories. A friend recently told me that she discovered she has a half- sister in Phoenix after doing a DNA search. Their father had some explaining to do. It's amazing what you can discover. People tell me that after hearing my story, they started looking for their own family castle. I always ask them if they want to form a support group. Is there time in the UK for you? I am in awe of how old the buildings are in England. I always laugh when Bob talks about the modern building that was built in the 1800s. In my hometown of Michigan, if a house was built in the 1800s, it probably has a plaque on it. The tours of historic homes in LA were mostly built in the 1920s. I wish I had realized how easy it was to grab a do-it-yourself item off the shelf and pay for it at Home Depot. My ancestors would have used many of the methods that we use today, such as hand-making leaded-glass windows, baking bricks out of clay, creating plaster molds and making goat-hair mortar. I am not looking forward to the day we have to make paint out of cow urine. The Gallery Corridor is one of my favorite parts of Hopwood Hall, but it's difficult to say my absolute favorite part. It is a very wide, ornately carved hallway that would have welcomed visitors as they entered the Hall. It would have been lined with portraits of my ancestors. There is a stone fireplace that was given to the Hopwoods by Lord Byron. The Gallery Corridor is a representation of both the history of the Hall and residents who lived there, but also of the future as we battle against time to save it. One of the ceilings collapsed recently, it was devastating. We are on our way to rescue that as well. The challenge with a house of this size is that it is hard to keep up with all the repairs and to know where to focus our efforts. I made a video on my channel about the Gallery Corridor and someone contacted me saying they know where at least one of the old portraits went, which is amazing news. Americans can start visiting this summer when we open the medieval doors. We had to set up a reservation system because we were amazed at the number of people requesting tours. When we will be ready to host weddings have brides contacted us. Beginning June 18th, we will offer hardhat tours of some of the rooms, including The Guards Room and the Family Chapel, to kick off summer and to celebrate the release of "Downton Abbey". We are going to be offering workshops this summer where visitors can learn historic building skills, but tickets are very limited, so those interested can book ahead at www.HopwoodXIV.com. I feel a bit like one of the servants. We will eventually be able to offer visitors of Hopwood Hall inspiring homes. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY. The celebrity baker shared stories about her time with the royal family. Sugar, butter, cheese, margarine, cooking fats and meat were rationed when Elizabeth was crowned Queen. Few know that Amazon has millions of Prime Subscribers. The post says that the Logos are not wealthy. The page shows the number of shootings over the last decade. A lawsuit has been filed against Mark Ruffalo and his production company for a fire in upstate New York. 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There are talented people who do all that on Fiverr. This is the first look at the reborn DeLorean, which is due to make its debut in August. David Masumoto wrote a commentary on his experience. My great-great-grandfather replaced his wife with a near copy and passed her off as the original in their new life in America.What’s the latest? Bring us up to date with where the renovations stand.
What other stories have you heard about people who’ve entered into the world of ancestry research?
The playwright George Bernard Shaw famously observed that the'British and the Americans are two great peoples divided by a common tongue.' What’s been the most fascinating aspect of spending
You write in the book that at the start of this journey you were the kind of person who had 'practically burst into tears' in a Home Depot parking lot when trying to do a relatively simple home improvement task. How are your DIY skills now?
What’s your favorite room in Hopwood Hall?
When can Americans start visiting?
The 'Downton Abbey' movie sequel was just released, the TV series inspired the title of your book. Tell us how your life in England compares to the drama?
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