User:Soaper1234/sandbox6
| Weatherfield | |
|---|---|
| Coronation Street location | |
| First appearance | Episode 1 6 December 1960 |
| Created by | Tony Warren |
| Genre | Soap opera |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Town |
| Location | Greater Manchester, England |
| Locations | Rovers Return Inn |
| Characters | Coronation Street characters |
Weatherfield is a fictional town based on Salford which is the setting for the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street since its inception in 1960.[1]
History
[edit]Locations within Weatherfield
[edit]Coronation Street
[edit]Coronation Street is set on a cobbled street of the same name, where most characters reside. The street's fictional backstory states that it was built in 1902 and named following the coronation of King Edward VII.
The Rovers Return Inn public house is situated on the corner of Coronation Street, where it meets Rosamund Street.[2] The pub's name stems from the Ye Olde Rovers Return in Withy Grove, Manchester, which was demolished prior to the soap's pilot.[3] The setting has been involved in many of the show's stunts; in an episode originally broadcast in March 1979, a truck crashed into the pub, and on two occasions, the pub has been set on fire. While filming scenes for the 1986 fire, actress Julie Goodyear's (who portrays Bet Lynch) costume set alight, placing her in danger.[3] Terraced houses follow the pub down the street, beginning with No. 1 Coronation Street, which is notably the home of the Barlow family and the longest-serving soap character Ken Barlow (William Roache).[2] The original owner of the house is Albert Tatlock (Jack Howarth), who lived there until his death in 1984, making him the longest resident of the house.[2] Originally home to the Barlow family, No. 3 Coronation Street was owned by Emily Bishop (Eileen Derbyshire) for the majority of the show's history. Various characters lodged with Emily, including Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden), who later became the owner.[2] Under Emily and Norris' ownership, the house was designed to appear dated and old-fashioned.[4] When the Bailey family were introduced in 2019, they move into No. 3, which resulted in the set design team renovating the set. Series producer Iain MacLeod explained that the decision to change the "iconic set" was not "a decision [they] took lightly", but they believed it had to be done.[5] Rosie Mullins-Hoyle, the head of design at Coronation Street, dubbed the change a big "challenge" and revealed that work on the revamped set began six months in advance. She added that the set was designed to reflect the characters with posters from concerts added to reflect their love of music and dancing.[4] Johnathan Hughes, writing for Inside Soap, called the set revamp the "most radical renovation [of the property] in decades".[2]
Viaduct Street
[edit]Rosamund Street
[edit]Victoria Street
[edit]Victoria Street is a development to the show's set, introduced in 1999. The set includes shops, eateries, two houses, and a builder's yard.[6]
The street was extended in 2018 with the introduction of a retail area, dubbed "Wider Weatherfield". The new set was commissioned following the soap's move to broadcasting six weekly episodes; it provides more options on-set to prevent the need for on-location filming.[6] The set includes shops, restaurants, an urban garden, a tram station, and a police station. It also includes real life retail outlets Costa Coffee and Co-op Food. The police station set includes a reception, cells, corridors and interview rooms.[6] Series producer Kate Oates praised the design team for their work on the set extension. She commented, "The Victoria Street extension represents an exciting chapter in Corrie history: an amazing new stage, full of dramatic potential."[6]
Design production on the set began in 2014 and official planning for the set took place took eighteen months. Construction then took place over eight months, with a total of 150,000 working hours going into the construction. Almost 1,000 people, with a selection of skills, worked on the creation of the new set.[6] The design team researched local architecture and collated reference pictures, before hand draughting and producing the first drawings of the set. During the process, cardboard and 3D computer models were created to check each angle of the set prior to construction.[6] Rosie Mullins-Hyde, the head of design, explained that they wanted to be sustainable in building the set and so, they used reclaimed materials and recycled props on the set.[6]
The cobbled street in the new set uses 7000 cobbles reclaimed from the previous set. Mullins-Hyde asked bricklayers to lay the bricks poorly so they appear uneven and chipped, reflecting the idea that they have been there for years. She commented, "It goes against everything they are trained to do but the results are fantastic and characterful."[6] The entire new set is designed to appear aged and as old as Coronation Street and Rosamund Street.[6] For the tram station, the design team reused the original Rovers Return Inn door handles, having been removed in 2013.[6] The urban garden features a specially commissioned memorial bench dedicated to the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, specifically Martyn Hett, who was a "superfan" of the show. Mullins-Hyde explained that the show wanted "a beautiful and colourful tribute".[6] The bench features a mosaic mural designed by scenic artist Dan Taylor and created by artist Ruth Wilkinson.[6] Hett's family were invited to view the memorial in a private set visit during the week prior to the official release.[6] A "wishing well" Cornus Mas tree was planted in the garden to add colour to the garden.[6]
Other settings
[edit]- Mawdsley Street, the street backing onto the houses of Coronation Street.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Brooks-Pollock, Tom (11 March 2014). "Ten things Manchester gets the credit for when really it should be Salford". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Hughes, Johnathon (24–30 October 2020). "Your ultimate guided tour!". Inside Soap. No. 43. pp. 64–73.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) - ^ a b "It's the world's most famous back street pub; Nostalgia looks back on defining moments of high drama at the Rovers Return". Manchester Evening News. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2020 – via The Free Library.
- ^ a b Hughes, Johnathon (24–30 October 2020). "The joy of sets!". Inside Soap. No. 43. pp. 74–77.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) - ^ Seddon, Dan (6 April 2019). "Coronation Street to revamp iconic set after new Bailey family move in". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Sinclair, Alison (12 March 2018). "Welcome to wider Weatherfield - Victoria Street" (Press release). ITV Press Centre. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
External links
[edit]
Category:Coronation Street Category:Fictional neighborhoods Category:Fictional populated places in England Category:Fictional elements introduced in 1960