Weatherfield Precinct

Weatherfield Precinct

This is our third visit to Coronation Street and our second to Media City having previously visited the earlier set at the Quays.  It is our first visit since the most recent set extension covering the famous Weatherfield Precinct and playground which was added to the set about two years ago.

Our tour today starts with the outside of the Tony Warren building – which contains many of the internal sets and externally has the signage associated with Weatherfield Hospital.  We then join the main outside set via the Freshco car park – which merely consists of a trolley park these days!  Originally filming in Freshco used a local  Morrisons supermarket on Sundays.

We then move around to the Weatherfield Precinct and associated shops plus the flats above.  One amusing feature is that all of the flats have external doors (with letter boxes) which are visible above the shops along the walkway – but visitors to the flats always enter from the rear of the flat – which appears to be completely impossible as the main door is at the front.  Ours is not to reason why!

The playground equipment is made from recycled plastic but does look entirely new and unused – which is not surprising given the very rare appearances of many of the younger children in the programme – Glory, Aled, Bryn, Carys, Lilo, Harry, Bertie and Alfie!  As ever access is limited and it is not possible to pass directly in front of the individual shops.

Our tour then moves onto the Police station and then into Victoria Street area which was relatively new on our last visit.  The vegetation in Victoria Gardens is particularly verdant (our last visit was in late Autumn) preventing decent photographs of the memorial bench to Martyn Hett and those who lost lives in the Manchester bombing.

Seb Memorial Garden

Seb Memorial Garden

A Sainsburys / Argos store is coming next door to Hays Travel with past incumbents in this area now being a distant memory.   Seb’s memorial garden is a new addition but currently the entrance to the former gym and the builder’s yard are unused with the latter apparently now boarded up.  Trim Up North appears closed.

Although Nuttall’s brewery is closed there are still abandoned barrels and no sign of any change whilst there were a couple of StreetCars outside the office.  There are few changes obvious along Coronation Street itself since our last visit.  Indeed it may even be the same menu outside the Bistro!  A few cheeky shots were taken of the Platt garden and around the back of the factory.

The other major addition since our last visit is the internal exhibition which has various costumes on display plus display boards telling the stories of the families and characters past and present.  In addition there are internal sets – mainly a mock up of the Rovers and Roys Rolls.  Not mentioned in the literature is the Duckworth’s living room with bar – but I have a feeling this may not be as permanent.

Prior to visiting the above addition we also met Alan Halsall who briefly meets the visitors for a photo.  He was particularly good with an individual on the tour to whom the Street is obviously a passion.  And he is not very tall as he admitted!

Bistro Menu

Bistro Menu

Our travel to and from Media City was by tram – use the Imperial War Museum stop and it is a short walk past that Museum to the entrance.  The return trips on the trams cost a total of £3.10 each – a bargain.