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| 1 Coronation Street – a desirable residence next to the pub and opposite the Health Centre |
Guest blog post by Derek Bray
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A humble terraced house on an iconic street. I wonder what secrets hide behind that old brown door? Join me and let’s find out!
Let me take you back almost a century to 1919 when Albert Tatlock moved into the house next door to the Rovers Return on Coronation Street with his wife, Bessie.
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Happy Albert, always one to raise a smile |
Albert was still living there when Coronation Street opened its doors to the public in 1960, but his wife had died a year before. Probably of boredom.
At about this time, Albert’s niece, Valerie moved in with him, and soon after started dating Ken Barlow. In due course they married and were blessed with twins, Peter and Susan. Susan was destined to produce Adam, Ken’s grandson from a marriage to Mike Baldwin and Peter is currently in the street, having sired young Simon.
Ken and Valerie Barlow
Valerie died tragically when she was electrocuted in a hair raising incident whilst drying her…yes, you’ve guessed it, hair. Ken soon found he couldn’t cope with his twins and shipped them off to Val’s parents in Scotland.
Ken was very close to Albert, who regarded him as a son and he moved in to No. 1 to look after ‘Uncle’ Albert in his twilight years. A cynic would perhaps question why he was adept at looking after an old man, yet less so at looking after his own twins.
In 1973 Ken met and married a girl called Janet Reid in the hope she would take on his twins. She refused and they divorced a year later.
That marriage certainly had its moments culminating in Deirdre committing adultery with Mike Baldwin in 1983.
In 1988 Ken remortgaged the house to buy the Weatherfield Recorder, probably harbouring a dream to become the next Rupert Murdoch. Well, you have to start somewhere. Ken and Deirdre separated soon afterwards. Deirdre had begun to suffer from, yes, you guessed it…acute boredom. She was legally advised that she owned half of the Recorder. That did wonders for her boredom and triggered off more dramatic action. She forced Ken to sell it to pay off No. 1’s mortgage, after which the house became legally hers.
All’s fair in love and war they say, but I suppose that depends on whose viewpoint you are looking through.
In 1994 Ken had a new girlfriend, Denise Osbourne, and another son was born, Daniel. As with the other children, Ken was not destined to be part of his upbringing.
In 1994 Deirdre married Samir Rachid and moved to Morocco with him, but not before selling the house to Mike Baldwin, Ken’s nemesis. After seven months, for reasons best known to himself, Mike sold the house back to Ken Barlow, who has owned it ever since.
Deirdre returned to No.1 and Ken in 1999 and died, whilst away, in 2015
The Barlows outside No.1 today. From left: Adam, Peter, Ken, Tracy and Daniel
And that completes the chequered history of just one of the houses on a rather remarkable cobbled street. Am I going to leave it there? Not likely. I’m all set to look through the keyhole of all the others.
By Derek Bray
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6 comments:
All in all, Ken's been a crap father, hasn't he? I sometimes wonder what would've happened if Deirdre had chosen Mike and not stayed with Ken.
I often wonder what would have happened if Anne Reid had not chosen to leave the program in 1971 and Valerie Barlow had therefore not been killed off. Would Ken and Val still be together today, and would Susan and Peter have had a more stable upbringing? If Peter had had his father there for him when he was growing up would he have been an entirely different person today and never have become an alcoholic?
It is fascinating to speculate!!!!!
This is great, looking forward to the next one.
I'm fascinated by Rita's house in the old episodes. I can't think who lives in that house now, it doesn't look like a house we see nowadays.
Rita's house was Number 7. Built for her my Len in '82, it's currently the home of Dev and the kids.
Always thought the same thing!
Two key residents who must have been hiding in the corner, out of the keyhole’s view, were Blanche and Amy. Is the front room in the place of the scullery?
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