An iconic figure on the Manchester music scene from the 1960s has just put his Grade II listed Cheshire home up for sale and it looks absolutely incredible.
Dating back to the 18th century, Hulgrave Hall is owned by Keith Hopwood.
Mr Hopwood – from Davyhulme – was one of the founding members of Manchester band Herman’s Hermits, where he provided rhythm guitar and backing vocals for the popular band who had a hit No. 1 single with their chart debut ‘I’m Into Something Good’ in 1964 and sold in excess of 80 million records.
Hopwood has since turned his hand to music production, meaning Hulgrave Hall’s dedicated recording studio has been used by a fair few famous names over the years.
Sitting in 10 acres of stunning Cheshire countryside, the tastefully-decorated five-bedroom property – which is located in Tiverton, near Tarporley in Cheshire – is set against the backdrop of the stunning Beeston and Peckforton castles.
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The country home – which offers manicured gardens and traditional Georgian architecture – includes a main house which extends across three levels and a separate cottage, plus the two-storey barn building which houses the studio and office.
Other outbuildings include a separate gym and a dedicated workshop.
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It boasts plenty of original period features throughout, with exposed wooden beams and rustic stone fireplaces, along with a library, dining room, drawing room and wine cellars too.
Rightmove / Jackson-Stops
Not only is it an impressive property visually, but as mentioned, it’s also steeped in music history.
As the base for Hopwood’s successful studio business, Pluto Music, the fully-equipped professional music room has seen bands including The Clash and The Smiths make use of the services over the years, and the studio has composed music for TV productions such as The Wind in the Willows, The BFG and Bob the Builder, among many others.
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Keith Hopwood told the MEN: “My family and I have lived in Hulgrave Hall for the past three decades. It’s been the most fantastic home for us and ticked all the boxes in terms of what we were looking for – a large outdoor garden and entertaining area, my own studio space, many original property features and beautiful views from the grounds.
“The minute we saw this property we fell in love – it was perfect for us.
“We’ve had a few famous faces on the grounds over the years, including Jason Donovan, Neil Morrissey and Stacey Soloman, however, before all that the property was actually a working Georgian farm, and then renowned for equestrian and racehorse training – even housed famous racehorse Red Rum in the stables for a short time.
“It’s a great location as well, with easy access to neighbouring villages and not too far to commute to and from London, when needed.
“We’re sad to be leaving but I’m sure that the next homeowners will love this home just as much as we have.”
Hulgrave Hall is currently on the market with Chester-based estate agent Jackson-Stops for £1.75m.
You can find the full property listing on Rightmove here.
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Eurovision 2025 final to be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest is to be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester next month.
Following the success of the previous two years, initially starting back when the internationally renowned televised event was held on British soil in Liverpool in 2023, cinemas up and down the UK are, once again, set to come together to celebrate 2025’s edition of the major night in the music calendar by hosting the ultimate viewing events.
The epic Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final on Saturday 17 May will be broadcast live on BBC One, and streamed into more than 100 cinemas nationwide – including several in Greater Manchester.
Distributed by CinemaLive, the live stream events will allow Eurovision fans to gather under one roof and share in the unbeatable experience of celebrating the brightest and boldest music party of the year on the big screen.
The Eurovision 2025 final will be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester / Credit: CinemaLive | Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)
You may remember that Switzerland is hosting Eurovision this year, following the nation’s well-deserved victory at the 2024 contest with the song ‘The Code’ performed by Nemo.
But thanks to these live stream events, you won’t need to make the trip to Basel to get in on the action, as you’ll just need to nip down to your nearest participating cinema instead.
Not only will the long-awaited final of the show be streamed live onto the big screen in 5.1 surround sound, but fans are invited to bring their Eurovision parties from the front room to the cinema instead, as organisers say fancy dress is ‘heavily encouraged’, as are enthusiastic sing-alongs too.
Speaking ahead of the event next month, John Travers from distributors CinemaLive, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the BBC to bring Eurovision’s grand final live into cinemas across the UK for the third year in a row.
“There’s simply no better way to enjoy the biggest night in music than in a cinema.”
Tickets are now live and available to book at your local cinema here.
Some of the participating Greater Manchester cinemas include Vue Manchester Printworks, Everymans in Manchester city centre and Altrincham, The Light in Stockport, and Cineworld in Didsbury, among others.
Featured Image – EBU
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Only 37% Brits claim they use swear words every single day
Emily Sergeant
Whether you can believe it or not, a new survey has revealed that only 37% of Brits reckon they swear every day.
Or maybe you can believe it.
Swearing and using inappropriate language definitely used to be considered far more offensive among generations gone by, but here today in the 21st century, it’s fair to say that curse words encompass a large part of the vocabulary used by a wide range of Brits spanning all ages.
For some, swearing is just another way of expressing yourself, but for others, it’s typically not acceptable.
But while it might be a controversial topic, an interesting new YouGov survey has found that swearing is something we nearly all do – with the majority of Brits (57%) saying they swear on most days, and only 8% claiming to never swear at all.
Only a third of Britons have a negative view of swearing, and young people are actually more likely to have a positive than negative view (unlike their elders)
As many may have predicted, men tend to be more regular swearers than women, with 41% saying they swear every day, compared to just 33% of women, and it was also found that younger Brits are more likely to curse on a regular basis too, with 47% of 18-34 year olds swearing every day, compared to only 19% of over 65s.
Even though lots of people perhaps don’t feel that comfortable using inappropriate language, just a third of Brits (33%) say they have an outright negative view of swearing, and nearly half of the public (48%) have what they would consider to be a ‘neutral attitude’ towards it.
When it comes to view points, YouGov found that there is, yet again, a clear generational shift in attitudes, with older Brits being the most likely to have a negative view of swearing (51%), compared to just 21% of 18-34 year olds.
In fact, 18-34 year olds are actually more likely to have a positive view of swearing (30%) rather than a negative one, the survey found.
Which swear words do Britons find the most offensive?
C*nt: 82% say very or fairly offensive Motherf*cker: 70% Fatherf*cker: 62% B*tch: 55% F*ck: 53% W*nker: 53% B*stard: 45% P*ssy: 44% Pr*ck: 42% Tw*t: 40% A*sehole: 39% D*ckhead: 39% Son of b*tch: 36% C*ck: 34% T*sser: 31%… pic.twitter.com/jovGbrSxdl
Does all of this change given the circumstances though? Do Brits consider it to be generally more acceptable to swear in certain places than others? The survey found that Brits are largely agreed on it being acceptable to swear when you’re in your home by yourself (91%), in response to physical pain (87%), or when you’re with friends in private (86%).
On the flip side, it’s considered unacceptable to swear in a place of worship (91%), while with a customer or client at work (94%), in front of children (95%), or at shopworkers (97%).
There are some instances, though, where the public are more divided, as when it comes to being with your with colleagues at work, nearly half (45%) of survey respondents see swearing as okay, but 53% see it as inappropriate.
Emily Sergeant -
5th October 2020 
