HE
HE STARTED THE WATERFRONT FILM FESTIVAL BROUGHT A LITTLE BIT
OF HOLLYWOOD TO WEST MICHIGAN
BUT NOW HOPWOOD DUPRI IS HOP
THE POND IN SEARCH OF HIS
FAMILY HISTORY AND THE HOPWOOD @
HALL ESTATE. THANKS SO BY SO
MUCH FOR STOPPI4@NG BY WHILE
YOU'RE IN TOWN MY GOSH IT'S
GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK. YOU
BUSY FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF
YEARS. YOU'VE MOVED TO ENGLAND.
YEAH YEAH. YOU FOUND YOUR OWN
YOUR OLD FAMILY ANCESTRAL
ESTATE RIGHT. SIX HUNDRED YEARS
OLD. SIX HUNDRED YEARS OLD AND @
IN THE GROUNDS ACTUALLY GO BACK
EVEN FURTHER THAN TH4@AT. SO
WE'RE CONTINUING 4@TO DO MORE
RESEARCH AND HAVE ALL THESE
AMAZING DISCOVERIES THAT'S BEEN
AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY. HOW DID
IT START. WELL YOU KNOW 4@GROWI
UP WITH THE NAME HOPWOOD I
NEVER KNEW TOO MUCH ABOUT IT.
IT'S UNUSUA4@L 4@AND BUT MY
GRANDFATHER WAS NAMED IT AS
WELL 4@AND HE ALWAYS TALKED ABO
A HTTPBIT CASTLE IN ENGLAND.
AND I GUESS I WOULD JUST 4@SORT
WELL 4@AND HE ALWAYS TALKED ABO A HTTPBIT CASTLE IN ENGLAND. AND I GUESS I WOULD JUST 4@SORT@
OF ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS A
FAIRY TALE I NEVER REALLY
THOUGHT WAS A REAL PLACE. AND
THEN ONE NIGHT I WAS IN L.A.
AND I WAS RESEARCHING MY
ANCESTRY ONLINE WHICH SORT OF
FASCINATE FASCINATED ME ANYWAY?
AND 4@4@I CAME ACROSS HOPWOOD H
AND I WAS JUST BLOWN AWAY TO
SEE THAT IT IS 4@ACTUALLY A REA
PLACE. AND SO I SENT AN EMAIL I
GOT EMAILS BACK FROM THEM AND
THEY SAID WHEN ARE YOU COMING
TO ENGLAND 4@AND SO I WENT OVER
THERE AND IT COMPLETELY CHANGED
MY LIFE. NOW I'VE LIVING OVER
THERE AND THAT'S BECOME THE
FOCUS 4@IT HAS BEEN BECAUSE IT
NEEDS A LOT OF RENOVATION
RIGHT. 4@IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL
ESTATE. YOU KNOW BACK IN THE
12TH CENTURY AND FORWARD BUT
THEN IT DID FALL INTO A LITTLE @
BIT 4@ABOUT 30 YEARS AGO REALLY
SO IT'S THE DAMAGES IS RECENT 4@
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WHOLE
SCALE OF THE THING THAT YOU
LIKE. WELL WE JUST HAVE TO MAKE
UP FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS BUT
MOSTLY WAS CAUSED BY VANDALS
BREAKING 4@AND STEALING STUFF A
STEALING LED OFF THE ROOF WHICH
HOLDS THESE HUGE SLATE TILES?
AND SO IT RAINS MANCHESTER AND
THE WATER STARTED TO GET IN.
AND THAT'S WHAT CAUSED MOST 4@
DAMAGE. WHAT WERE SOME OF THE
INTERESTING THINGS THAT YOU
FOUND. OH MY GOSH. WELL WE WE 4@
FOUND A SECRET ROOM RECENTLY. I
SAW THAT EPISODE SO THAT WAS
MIND BLOWING FOR AN INSIDE THE
SECRET ROOM WAS A SECRET 4@CHES
AND INSIDE THE SECRET CHEST 4@S
IT'S BEEN ONE 4@DISCOVERY AFTER
ANOTHER LIKE THAT. BUT I FOUND
YOU KNOW IN THE WALL THERE'S
INITIALS THAT WERE CARVED IN
FROM SIXTEEN EIGHTY 4@NINE WHEN
SOMEONE GOT MARRIED. THERE'S
JUST SO MANY DIFFEREN4@T THINGS
THAT I COULD GO ON AND ON
THERE'S THERE'S AREAS WE FOUND
THAT LOOK LIKE A PRIEST THEY'RE
SECRET STAIRCASES I'M TOLD IN
CERTAIN AREAS WE'VE BEEN TOLD
THERE'S TUNNELS THAT GO UNDER
THE HOUSE SO A LOT OF THAT
STILL HAS TO BE DISCOVERED THE
PRIESTHOOD DATES BACK TO HENRY
THE EIGHTH. RIGHT YEAH. SO SO
YEAH WHEN PRIEST HAD TO
ACTUALLY HIDE WHEN THEY WERE
GONNA BE MURDOCH 4@YEAH EXECUTE
SO SO AND BECAUSE IT'S SUCH 4@A
BIG PROPERTY AND THERE'S WALLS
THAT ARE REALLY THICK. YOU KNOW
WE THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT MORE
TO DISCOVER AS WE GO. AND WHAT
I LOVE ABOUT IT YOU KNOW I'M A
HISTORY BUFF YOU POST THESE
BLOGS 4@AND SO PEOPLE CAN
ACTUALLY WATCH THE WHOLE
PROCESS THEY CAN WATCH
EVERYTHING THAT YOU DISCOVERED
AND IT'S FASCINATING. IT REALLY
IS TO 4@BE ABLE TO SEE THAT ALL
YOU KNOW UNFOLD WHAT IS YOUR
LIKE END GAME FOR THIS. WELL
IT'S REALLY CLOSE TO MANCHESTER
AND THERE'S A HUGE ART AND
CULTURE SCENE GOING ON THERE.
AND SO I'D LOVE TO DO SOMETHING
AND THERE'S A HUGE ART AND CULTURE SCENE GOING ON THERE. AND SO I'D LOVE TO DO SOMETHING@
TAPS INTO THAT AND MAKE IT KIND
OF LIKE A VENUE WHERE PEOPLE
CAN COME AND VISIT WE'VE
ALREADY HAD PEOPLE CONTACTING
US ABOUT CAN WE HOLD OUR
WEDDING THERE. MY MONTCALM DO
TOURS SO I'D LOVE TO DO THAT
BUT ALSO HAVE SCREENINGS LIKE
FILM SCREENINGS LIKE WATERFRONT
FILM FESTIVAL BUT ALSO CONCERTS
AND LIVE THEATER AND YOU KNOW
ALL SORTS OF THINGS. 4@IT'S A
REALLY 4@UNIQUE SPACE THERE'S
INDOOR OUTDOOR SPACES THERE'S
THERE'S A THEATER 4@STAGE IT'S
THERE YOU KNOW THERE'S ALL
SORTS OF DIFFERENT AREAS AND
THEN IT'LL BE ABOUT TWENTY FIVE
BEDROOMS NOW WHEN IT'S SAID AND
DONE. AND 4@SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO
HAVE YOU KNOW 50 OR 60 PEOPLE
STAY 4@THERE AS WELL. ARE YOU
PLANNING TO LIVE THERE AS WELL
WANT YEAH YEAH I HAVE TO. YEAH.
AND I THINK THAT'S THAT'S WHAT @
A LOT OF 4@THESE OLD HISTORIC
HOUSES IN ENGLAND DO AS THEY
KEEP SOME CONNECTION TO THE
FAMILY WHICH IS IMPORTANT I
THINK TO KEEP THEM GOING
BECAUSE OTHERWISE THEY FALL
INTO DISREPAIR AS THEY FADE
WHEN YOU WHEN YOU WERE GOING
THROUGH AND LOOKING FOR THINGS
THAT YOU SEE ANY RESEMBLANCE TO
YOURSELF AS IN YOUR ANCESTORS.
YOU KNOW IT KIND OF BLEW MY
MIND BECAUSE THERE'S THAT OLD
STAINED GLASS WINDOW AND IT'S
REALLY OLD OBVIOUSLY 4@FOR
PHOTOGRAPHY OR MAYBE EVEN
PORTRAITS AND AND ONE OF THE
PEOPLE IN THE STAINED GLASS
WINDOW IT LOOKS LIKE ME. 4@IT'S
VERY CRUDE BUT I WAS LIKE YOU
KNOW IF SOMEBODY MADE A STAINED
GLASS WINDOW OF ME MAKE MY 4@IT
FASCINATING. I WAS SO HAPPY
THAT YOU'RE DOING THIS IF 4@YOU
WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW ALONG AND
HOLLYWOOD'S JOURNEY OF COURSE.
I'VE GOT A WAY