Coronation Street has a history with trams. So do I. While Corrie tends to use trams to kill folk, my dealings with them are not quite as dramatic. When I visited the new Coronation Street Tour at MediaCity back in May 2018 I created a special piece of artwork and frustratingly left it on a tram bound for Eccles! This morning, while on my way to the revived Coronation Street Tour after a 2 year closure period during the Lockdowns, I missed my tram and had to run a mile across Salford Quays so that I didn’t miss that special first slot.
The tours had originally started from dock10 at MediaCity and as I arrived there this morning, panting and sweating, I found the place deserted. A mock-up of the Rovers Return bar sat forlornly behind the big windows, along with other Coronation Street Tour signage. Something wasn’t right, so I quickly checked my booking email and realised I needed to be at the ITV Studio across the Manchester Ship Canal. Off I galloped again but I needn’t have worried: for the last few weeks I have been running miles on a treadmill, listening to the Conversation Street podcast as a happy distraction, and I was soon at the studio entrance where other attendees had cleverly convened.
It was clear from the outset that things had changed on the tour. The 24 fans lucky enough to book onto Tour No. 1 were led through the studio security gates (the on screen entrance to Weatherfield’s HMP Norcross, minus the body search) and given a coloured wristband. These replaced the lanyards used on previous tours, and while we first attendees had a lovely green band, boxes of other colours were there for the subsequent groups. The tours were scheduled to be fifteen minutes apart and this new system presumably helps to ensure the different groups are kept apart.
Our tour guide this morning was the lovely David, who had also led groups around the now-demolished Coronation Street lot over on Quay Street. As the clock struck 10 am, we were taken across the studio site to the Viaduct Street gates and as we finally walked onto the world’s most famous street we were encouraged to sing the Corrie theme tune. Needless to say we were all atrociously off-key but it only added to the excitement!
Alongside the Corner Shop, we were given a much warmer welcome to the Street than the one given to Florrie Lindley by Ena Sharples - and then we were finally let loose on the cobbles. Our group was asked to rendezvous outside Audrey’s Salon at 10.40 am (not for a perm and set, I hasten to add). Previous tours were more structured, but the 40 minutes of free time allowed us ample opportunity to explore all the nooks and crannies of our favourite characters’ houses. This was also the ideal time to make the obligatory ‘holding the door handle’ pose in front of the Rovers Return Inn while the chirpy tour photographer captures the moment for posterity. The more adventurous types tried something different and I even saw one enthusiastic fan doing star jumps! You really do see all sorts in Weatherfield!
A few brave souls ventured into the claustrophobic ginnel behind the Rovers, others milled around the medical centre, some rutted about Sally’s front garden, while I had a cheeky peek inside Chesney’s letterbox! The Manchester weather was on our side today and it was lovely to loiter, but I do appreciate that some might prefer a fully led walk where you are drip fed Corrie factoids for the full duration.
Our next stint was on the corner of Victoria Street, next to Street Cars, Prima Doner and Roy’s Rolls, followed by further free time to explore the outdoor set. I had a nosey over the fence at Yasmeen’s rear and enviously eyed up Sally’s hot tub. Gail’s gaping sink hole was, sadly, too far out of sight, but then again it had probably been filled in. The gardens for the posh side of the street are very real, trees, plants, spiders and all, but I was very quickly reminded that this was indeed a studio set; a tap on the nearby stone pillars of the Jurassic Park-esque Nuttall’s Brewery gates revealed them to in fact by decorated plywood. Credit to the skills of the Corrie set designers. Other clues were not nearly as obvious. Residents of the nearby Victoria Court have a parking garage for their sole and exclusive use (keep out Redbank Apartmenters!), however tour guide David revealed that the garage gates were actually a magical wormhole to the other side of Weatherfield! We nipped through the secret passageway and ended up at Weatherfield Police Station and Crown Court. We attendees had, up until this point, been reasonably well behaved so there was no fear of us being locked in the cells, though with Weathy Police’s propensity to arrest the innocent, anything could have happened. This area is known as Kitchener Street, and while in reality it is the back of Roy’s Rolls et al, it was shrewdly used for nasty Nathan’s flat, a doss point for Kelly and Stu, and most recently as the nightclub where Amy Barlow had her drink spiked. More TV magic!
Next stop was the remainder of Victoria Street, much of which was added to the filming lot in March 2018. Having previously visited here not long after the unveiling, I focussed on the newer additions, particularly undertaker George Shuttleworth’s frontage. As is often the case with sets, the shop was a lot smaller than I expected, something I cheekily pointed out to actor Tony Maudsley via Twitter where I commented that Dev’s is bigger!
I steeled myself for the rolling of the end credits and another sad goodbye to Weatherfield but was pleasantly surprised when the tour unexpectedly continued on away from the Co-Op and nearby exit, to a corner of the studios tucked out of sight. When the Coronation Street lot was recreated at MediaCity in 2013, Rosamund Street was adjusted and given a curve to the left and a new shop, J.R. Eccleston & Sons’ disused hardware store, as a means of hiding the studio car park from the camera lenses during filming. We discovered that this hidden area is known as the Prop Store and we spent a few minutes looking at bulky, outdoor props, such as benches, bins, bikes and bereavement flowers (SPOILER: spelling the word ‘DAD’). A large shuttered door nearby led into the building behind the Rosamund Street Medical Centre and we were told it was an Aladdin’s Cave of Coronation Street props. Oh to have been let loose inside!
Our final destination was Weatherfield General Hospital. Nobody was hurt or injured, but the new ending point of the tour was at the Tony Warren Building, home to the production offices and studios housing internal sets, and often seen on screen as the hospital’s entrance. We all took this opportunity to pay tribute to Coronation Street show creator Tony Warren in front of the building named after him, before thanking our guide for a very enjoyable 90 minutes of Corrie bliss! His final words were, “If you’ve enjoyed the tour, my name is David. If not, my name is Alan Bradley!”
For those wondering about the customary gift shop, it was housed in a temporary marquee, alongside an overspill store for the costume department, and featured a basic selection of merchandise, plus the chance to purchase your Rovers photograph from earlier (my pose was a casual lean against the window sill, but next time I might try that star jump).
As I sauntered across the car park towards the studio exit, I wished that the Weatherfield North tram station was real, as by now my poor feet were aching from all that time on the meddlesome cobbles. I know I will be back here one day and can only hope that the tram journey will be without incident!
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The Coronation Street Tour operates on various weekends throughout the year and tickets costing £35 can be booked online at: www.coronationstreettour.co.uk
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Watch a video of my visit to the Coronation Street Tour at: https://twitter.com/CorrieArt/
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Read my article on the Coronation Street Blog about my misadventures on the original Quay Street Corrie Tour:
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Read my article on the Coronation Street Blog about the opening of the Corrie Tour back in May 2018:
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All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
1 comment:
I thoroughly enjoyed that little stroll down the street with you. I too wish that you could have had time to go through the props! heehee,next time.
Next time I'm over that way.........
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