| Weatherfield | |
|---|---|
A view of Weatherfield from above Coronation Street |
|
| Coronation Street location | |
| Creator | Tony Warren |
| Genre | Soap opera |
| Type | Area of Greater Manchester |
| Notable locations | Coronation Street Rovers Return Inn |
| Notable characters | Coronation Street characters |
Weatherfield is a fictional town, based on Salford[1] in North West England, which serves as the setting for the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Much of Weatherfield has been seen by viewers throughout the years, however, the primary focus in the viewer's perspective is the eponymous Coronation Street, a cobbled street in Weatherfield where many of the programme's characters live. Weatherfield areas are often shot on location around Manchester, as its filming studios, the Granada Studios complex on Quay Street in Manchester city centre, only houses the outdoor sets of Coronation Street and its immediate surrounding streets.
Tony Warren created Coronation Street in 1960, and based the show on Salford, close by the television studios where it is produced. Like Salford, Weatherfield is a former industrial town, with most of its infrastructure dating from the cotton industry, starting in the Industrial Revolution. Housing in Weatherfield is also typical of its former industry, with the majority of dwellings being small Victorian terraces although like Salford many of the old terraces were demolished during the 1960s and 70s to make way for high rise developments. This change to the architectural skyline of Weatherfield was demonstrated during the opening titles to the series during the early 1970s.
Coronation Street is situated towards the centre of Weatherfield, and is flanked by Rosamund Street (the main thoroughfare towards the Manchester city centre) at its west. At the eastern end of Coronation Street is Viaduct Street and the former London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) railway viaduct. The viaduct now links Weatherfield to central Manchester via the Metrolink tram system.
The exterior set used in the filming of Coronation Street, which is currently based at the Granada Television complex in central Manchester, comprises only Coronation Street, Rosamund Street, Viaduct Street and Victoria Street. Other parts of fictional Weatherfield are filmed at locations in and around Manchester such as Eccles,[2] Prestwich[3] and also parts of Salford.[4] Victoria Street now also features a modern set of penthouses.[5]
After World War II, vast areas of Manchester were re-developed.[6] In the 1960s and 1970s much of the traditional terraced housing gave way to concrete tower blocks and austere extensive redevelopment, with tower blocks and council housing estates being built to the west of the town. Coronation Street was faced with demolition on a number of occasions, but the terrace was always saved.
After the decline of Weatherfield's heavy industry, the area became a local centre for clothing manufacture. A PVC factory opened in 1966, with its premises on Coronation Street, manufacturing fashionable PVC clothing.[7] Coronation Street reflected changes in local administration when, in 1974, the County Borough of Weatherfield became a Metropolitan Borough, part of the Greater Manchester county following the Local Government Act 1972.[8] In 1976, Michael Vernon Baldwin extended his successful denim manufacturing business to premises in the north. 'Baldwin's Casualwear Limited' traded in Weatherfield for 13 years.
In the 1990s, Weatherfield became a centre for regeneration. The building of modern houses and shop units was completed on Coronation Street in 1990, bringing a contemporary feel to the area. The Weatherfield Quays development, to the south of the town, opened in 1989, and Weatherfield became a desirable place for young professionals such as Des & Steph Barnes[9] to live.
The clothing industry in Weatherfield flourished, with Mike Baldwin opening his underwear factory Underworld in 1996[10] with other clothing manufacturers such as Wheelers and King's Robes setting up operations around this time. Underworld continues to manufacture underwear from its factory on Coronation Street.
Weatherfield was twinned with the fictional French town of Charleville in 1973.[11] The twinning was cancelled in 1994 after a dispute over bribery in a black pudding contest.[12]
The centre of Weatherfield comprises all streets along Rosamund Street, starting at Curzon Street in the north and ending at Victoria Street in the south.[13] Places of interest in the town centre are Weatherfield Central Library, the DHSS, Queen's Shopping Precinct, Bessie Street Primary School and Weatherfield Town Hall.[13] Freshco operates the supermarket in the town centre of Weatherfield, having taken over the old Bettabuy store in the 1990s. In an episode Kevin Webster states the postcode of Coronation Street is M10 9KZ. However, in reality M10 does not exist, and is a fictional district of the M postcode area. As Coronation Street is in the M10 area, it can be assumed that the M10 district encompasses the whole of the Weatherfield area.
Other streets in the area include Mawdsley Street, Inkerman Street, Crimea Street, Bessie Street, Balaclava Terrace, Jubilee Terrace, Tile Street, Viaduct Street and Queen Street. Weatherfield has a crown court where Tracy Barlow was sentenced to 15 years for the murder of Charlie Stubbs, and a magistrates court where several residents have appeared in the dock including Les Battersby, Rita Sullivan, Kevin Webster, Tracy Barlow and Angela Harris. There is also a prison located within the Greater Manchester area.
The Oakhill area of Weatherfield is in the north-west of the town and is reputed to be the 'posh end'. It is home to Weatherfield's only independent school, Oakhill, which also takes the name of the area. Rosie Webster attended the school from 2004 to 2007. Alex Neeson, Nick Neeson and Wendy Neeson all live here, and Alex attends the school.
In the series, Audrey Roberts and Betty Williams both lived in Oakhill. Betty Williams (formerly Turpin) has lived on Hillside Crescent since 1970, having lived at two addresses in the same street.[13] Audrey moved to 5 Grasmere Drive with her late husband Alf in 1989.
The Weatherfield Quays development was completed in 1989 on the banks of the River Irwell.[14] Mike Baldwin moved into his flat at Montreal House in 1989, living there until his death in 2006. Mike's son Danny was living with Mike at the time. He later inherited the apartment. He moved out in late 2006.
Other notable residents of the Weatherfield Quays have been Steve McDonald, Alma Halliwell (formerly Baldwin), Dev Alahan, Maya Sharma and Danny Baldwin, and the only current known resident is Carla Connor.[15]
Location filming for the Weatherfield Quays takes place at the Salford Quays.
An area of Weatherfield that Tony Gordon acquired to build new apartments, Jed Stone was the only resident that stood in the way of his plans to build the area up, the street he lived on had an old broken car with most houses on the street boarded up.
The 'Slums' were seen again when Tony met the hitman who killed Liam Connor; Jimmy Dockerson, he handed him over cash for performing the murder, although the houses were still standing behind them, probably due to the Credit Crunch which has affected the sales of the Victoria Court apartments. Before Christmas 2008, Jed visited the area everyday to search for his cat 'Sunny Jim' it was while doing this that Jed stumbled upon Tony having a meeting with Jimmy. On New Year's Eve, Tony mentioned getting the go ahead on the Nightingale Terrace development, which is most likely the area in the slums.
Familiar term for "The Red Recreation Ground", this is Weatherfield's principal area for sport and recreation and is situated to the south east of the town. The Red Rec has a children's play area, grassed areas where football pitches are marked out, and a woodland park area. The recreation ground has featured in the programme since the early 1960s, and has always been referred to as 'The Red Rec'.[16] The 'Red' in the name comes from the surface which is either red shale or crushed bricks packed down very tightly[17] however it was suggested in a script from 2000 that the name was given because the site is a former battleground. (See also: Red Rec protest.)
The Newton and Ridley Brewery was established in Weatherfield in 1781.[18] During the 19th century, Newton and Ridley expanded its operations, moving towards the acquisition and construction of new public houses. There is a pub crawl called the Weatherfield 7.
In 1902 Newton & Ridley acquired the freehold to the newly built public house on Coronation Street.[19] The pub was named "The Rovers Return Inn" and is the principal meeting place in Coronation Street. Although the house is no longer owned by Newton and Ridley, the brewery's products are still available.
The name was chosen because of the historic "Rover's Return" in Withy Grove, Manchester, which occupied a 14th century building. At some period it became a licensed house but ceased to be so in 1924. The building stood until 1958 when the City Council had it demolished.[20]
In 1850 Newton and Ridley opened "The Flying Dutchman" at the corner of Jubilee Terrace.[21] The name was changed in 1905 to "The Flying Horse" for patriotic reasons.[21] Until around 1985, The Flying Horse was the biggest rival pub to the "Rovers Return", with the regulars from both houses clashing in many friendly contests such as a tug-of-war, mixed football and pub Olympics.[21]
The pub was reintroduced in 2009, however it is now filled with dodgy characters.
"The Laughing Donkey" can be found on Omdurman Street, overlooking North Cross Park. It was the stronghold of Nellie Harvey (Mollie Sugden), acquaintance and nemesis of Rovers Return landlady, Annie Walker.[22]
"The Queens" was built in 1931 and is situated towards the 'trendy' Weatherfield Quays, south of Weatherfield.[23] The pub was introduced to Coronation Street in 1993, seeing former Rovers Landlady Liz McDonald installed as Landlady by Newton and Ridley.
Another rival to the Rovers Return, "The Weatherfield Arms", appeared around 2003. The location of the pub is unknown. Liz McDonald was the manager for a while here after she lost her job at the Rovers Return. Other Coronation Street residents such as Bev Unwin and Cilla Battersby-Brown have been employed here.
An early rival to the Rovers, mentioned in the first year or two by regular cast in 1960-1961, corner-shop owner Florrie Lindley worked there for 4 years before turning her attentions to shop-keeping, eventually it was mentioned less and less, especially after Florrie left and the pub has been unheard of for over 50 years, believing it has been closed down.
Formerly "Bessie Street Mixed Infants" and "Bessie Street Juniors", "Bessie Street Primary School" is the main institution for primary education in Weatherfield.
Many of the characters in the programme attended Bessie Street as children, including Albert Tatlock, Ken Barlow, Dennis Tanner, Tracy Barlow, Nick Tilsley, David Platt, Chesney Battersby-Brown, Bethany Platt, Joshua Peacock.
Some characters have also worked there, the most notable being Ken Barlow who took his first teaching job at Bessie Street in 1961 where he worked intermittently until 1974.[24] Esther Hayes, who lived at No.5 Coronation Street until 1962, also worked as a teacher at the school.[25] The role of lollipop man at Bessie Street has been held by Albert Tatlock, Percy Sugden and Jack Duckworth.
Peter Barlow went to see his son, Simon, perform in the nativity in December 2008, however he was refused entry as he was drunk, he fought his way through and ruined the play.
The only Coronation Street residents currently attending are Amy Barlow, Simon Barlow, Asha Alahan & Aadi Alahan, Max Turner
Formerly "Weatherfield Comprehensive School", "Weatherfield High School" is the main institution for secondary education in Weatherfield. The school specialises in the 11-16 age group, although some pupils have sat their A-Level examinations, which would suggest that the school has Sixth (VI) Form facilities.
Lucille Hewitt was the first character to sit her O-Level examinations at the newly formed Weatherfield Comprehensive in 1965.[26] The school was created by the amalgamation of the Weatherfield School for Girls' and the Weatherfield Boys' School.[26]
The school rarely featured until Ken Barlow returned to teaching in 1991, taking a post in the English department. By this time, Tracy Barlow was a pupil at the school, along with Steve and Andy McDonald and Nicky Tilsley. Derek Wilton worked as a caretaker at the school for a period in 1992. The school was referred to as 'Weatherfield Comp' in many scripts. Since 2004, references to 'Weatherfield Comp' have ceased and the school has started to be known as 'Weatherfield High'.
Other former pupils include Jenny Bradley, Toyah Battersby, Sarah-Louise Platt, Candice Stowe, Todd Grimshaw, Aiden Critchley, Rosie Webster and Craig Harris. In 2004, Violet Wilson was identified as a former pupil of Ken Barlow and sometimes still referred to him as "sir". Sophie Webster, Chesney Battersby-Brown, Sian Powers and Ben Richardson all have left the school after taking their exams in Year 11.
The only Coronation Street resident attending the school is Katy Armstrong.
Scenes at Weatherfield High School are filmed on location at Hope High School in Salford.
Weatherfield's only private school is in the Oakhill area of the town.
The school first appeared in the programme in 1993 when Mike Baldwin offered to pay for his estranged son Mark Redman to be educated there.[27] In 2004 Oakhill reappeared when Rosie Webster was accepted to the school where she studied for her GCSEs.
There are no on screen characters currently attending the school.
Scenes at Oakhill School are filmed on location at Cheadle Hulme School.[28]
Weatherfield has its own local newspaper, The Weatherfield Gazette. A free local newspaper also existed until 1990, known as The Weatherfield Recorder,[29] Also Weatherfield has a tabloid newspaper called The Daily Pulse.
| D&S Alahan's Corner Shop | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Dev Alahan |
| Address | 15 Coronation Street |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | General Convenience Store |
| Duration | 2004- (as D&S Alahan's) |
| Employees | Dev Alahan: Owner/ Shop Keeper Sunita Alahan: Shop Keeper Sophie Webster: Shop Assistant Amber Kalirai: Shop Assistant |
D&S Alahan's is situated at 15 Coronation Street and is on the junction to Viaduct Street. It is currently owned by Dev Alahan and Sunita Alahan. D&S Alahan's was hit by the tram in December 2010, while Sunita Alahan, Molly Dobbs and Baby Jack were inside, Jack and Sunita were subsequently saved but Molly didn't survive. The shop was closed for the beginning of 2011 but re-opened in late February. Until December 2010, the corner shop was the only business that had stood since the very first episode. Another notable storyline for D&S Alahan's was when Maya Sharma blew up the shop in 2004 with Dev and Sunita inside the flat above.
| The Kabin | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Norris Cole |
| Address | 10 Coronation Street |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | Newsagent (Former Post Office) |
| Duration | 1990- (In Current location) |
| Employees | Norris Cole: Owner/ Newsagent Rita Sullivan: Newsagent Assistant Mary Taylor: Newsagent Assistant |
The Kabin is also at the junction of Coronation Street and Viaduct Street. The Kabin mainly sells newspapers, magazines, traditional sweets and seasonal goods (Christmas, Easter, Hallowe'en). It was owned originally by Rita Sullivan as the Korner Kabin on Rosamund Street, and moved to its current location in 1990. In 2006, Rita sold 50% of The Kabin to employee Norris Cole, before selling her remaining 50% to him in late 2009, so that she could go travelling. The Kabin, along with D&S Alahan's corner shop and the Joinery wine bar, was severely hit by the tram crash in December 2010. The tram ripped through the shop and the flats above, with Rita inside the shop. After initially believing that Rita was out at a friend's, she was eventually rescued after Emily and Norris raised the alarm.
| Audrey's Salon | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Audrey Roberts |
| Address | 2 Coronation Street |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | Hairdressing and Beauty Salon |
| Duration | 1999- (as Audrey's) |
| Employees | Audrey Roberts: Owner/ Hairdresser David Platt: Manager/ Hairdresser Maria Connor: Hairdresser |
Audrey's Salon is situated at the junction or Rosamund Street and Coronation Street. It is currently owned by Audrey Roberts. 2 Coronation Street has been a hairdresser's salon since 1991, shortly after it was built. It was originally a charity shop, run by Emily Bishop in 1990. Previous salon owners included Denise Osbourne. It has been quoted that the majority of the cast has been in the salon at one time.
| Underworld | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Carla Connor and Frank Foster |
| Address | Underworld, Unit 14 Coronation Street |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | Clothing Factory |
| Duration | 2006- (as Underworld) |
| Employees |
Michelle Connor: Assistant Manager Izzy Armstrong: Machinist Kirk Sutherland: Packing/ Dispatch Assistant |
Underworld is the underwear factory situated on Coronation Street, which for years has employed many residents of Weatherfield. The company was founded by Mike Baldwin as Baldwins Casuals but is now currently owned by Carla Connor and Frank Foster. After the death of Mike Danny Baldwin and Adam Barlow sell their shares to Paul and Liam Connor, after Paul's death his wife, Carla, inherits his 60% share in the factory. Carla's new husband Tony Gordon purchases Liam's Shares shortly before he dies, but after Tony is sent down for his murder Carla buys his shares, before Nick Tilsley purchases them in early 2010. Nick sells his 40% Share back to Carla after the pair didn't get on to well. More recently Frank Foster bought Nick's former 40% share from Carla.
In early June 2010, Tony took revenge on Carla and Roy Cropper by kidnapping her and Roy's wife Hayley before setting it alight with Carla inside, she manages to escape but Tony walks back in to the blazing factory and dies. During the re-construction of the factory John Stape and Charlotte Hoyle hide the body of Colin Fishwick, who died in number 5 Coronation Street following an argument with the pair, under the floor of the factory in a hole after John had stole Colin's identity in order to allow him to teach again. However, unbeknown to John Owen Armstrong Construction were just about to cement over the hole and before John could do anything the floor was covered with cement and Colin was buried in under floor. The body remained undetected for nearly a year until July 2011 when drain problems with the factory toilets led to the floor having been dug up, John terrified that his secret was about to be uncovered managed to get himself on the labour team and went to the factory late one night to find Colin's body as wife Fiz walks in and discovers the body. Eventually, the police find out about John's cover up and investigate, but John makes a get away, leaving Fiz forced to the wrath for his crimes. Frank Foster took up a partnership with Carla with investment in the company, his relationship grew with Carla and they became engaged. As the wedding plans progressed Carla realised that she still had feelings for Peter Barlow and she called off the wedding. Frank raped Carla at her flat, which she later went to the police about. Frank was arrested but was later released on bail but was not allowed near Carla or the business. Frank's mother stepped in his shoes at the factory and interfeared with Carla's life making it harder for her to run the factory. Frank stole the clients from Underworld and sent in men to take his share of items and stock from the business so he could set up his new business else where in the area. With no work for the staff, Carla had the hard decision to lay off staff... First was a mutual agreement with Becky McDonald who walked out as she was last to be employed at the factory followed by Eileen Grimshaw for the same reasons. Carla also dismissed Sally Webster who was upset carla had done so as Sally had worked for the factory and been loyal to the business for many years. Frank approached Sally and offerd her a supervisor job at his new factory which she accepted.
| Nick's Bistro | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Nick Tilsley |
| Address | Viaduct Street |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | Restaurant |
| Duration | 2010- (as The Joinery: Wine Bar) |
| Employees | Nick Tilsley: Owner/ Barman Eva Price: Bar Manager Gail McIntyre: Cleaner |
The Bistro is situated on Viaduct Street under the viaduct, it was formerly a joiners workshop before it was renovated intoThe Joinery: Wine Bar in 2010. The Joinery was first opened by Peter Barlow and Leanne Barlow by owned by George Wilson, in early 2010 but on it first night Peters alcoholism got the better of him as he got drunk and violent, leaving Leanne devastated. Meaning that its first night was its last. In mid-2010 after the factory siege which saw the factory burnt down, Nick Tilsley saw an opportunity to use it as temporary factory, but he used this under the name Nick's Knicks meaning it had nothing to do with Carla or Underworld. After the closure of the temporary factory Nick rented the space again from owner George and re-opened The Joinery towards late 2010, employee ex-kebab shop worker Cheryl Gray as barmaid, Ciaran McCarthy as Chef and ex-wife Leanne as Manager in order to to allow her to live her dream. However, Nick and Leanne grew close and embarked on an affair, In December Ken Barlow walks in on them in the office looking for Peter and is disgusted with Leanne. The Joinery was destroyed following a gas explosion causing the tram to crash onto Coronation Street in front of the bar, which killed Ashley Peacock and nearly killed Peter. Nick, renovated in 2011 and re-opened it as The Bistro, again employing Cheryl along with his mother Gail as cleaner. Becky McDonald briefly worked there after her split from husband Steve.
| Barlow Bookies | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Peter Barlow |
| Address | 9 Rosamund Street |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | Book Makers |
| Duration | 2009- (as Barlow Bookies) |
| Employees | Peter Barlow: Owner/ Book Maker Leanne Barlow: Book Maker |
Barlow Bookies is the bookmakers shop on Rosamund Street and is owned by Peter Barlow. Peter bought the shop in late 2008 after buying it from Dan and Harry Mason after his return to Weatherfield. Shortly after he move into the flat above the Shop. In early 2009, Peter get drunk while son Simon Barlow is sleeping, he then lights a cigarette before dropping it and setting the place alight. Simon awakes to find it alight and manages to call Deirdre Barlow who rushes out to the street and see the blazing shop and flat, she gets Luke Strong and Tony Gordon to help rescue Peter, Simon and Leanne (Simons Rabbit). In August 2010, Lewis Archer cons Peter and the shop out of £4,000. After befriending new employee Deirdre he starts forging betting slips while deidres not looking and scams Leanne that hes won £4,000. CCTV reveals that in reality CCTV shows that hes sunck behind the desk and made the betting slip after the race had ended, before passionately kissing Deirdre to the dismay of Peter, Leanne, Ken and Audrey, but before he could be stopped he escapes to Barbados. John Stape worked here until he went on the run when his crimes were discovered. On 4th September 2011 a drunk Carla Conner crashed her car into the front of the Bookies, also knocking down Stella Price who was left critically ill following the accident.
| Owen Armstrong Construction | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Owen Armstrong |
| Address | 17 Victoria Street |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | Buliders |
| Duration | 2010- (as Owen Armstrong Construction) |
| Employees | Owen Armstrong: Owner/ Bulider Jason Grimshaw: Bulider * Note other on screen characters who are unamed work for Owen |
Owen Armstrong Construction is the buliders yard situated on Victoria Street. It is part of a chain owned by Owen Armstrong, before buying the Victoria Street Yard from Bill Webster. He kept on Jason Grimshaw and hired Chris Gray. Chris quit when he discovered he had a brain tumor.
| Street Cars | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Becky McDonald & Steve McDonald |
| Address | 15 Victoria Street |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | Taxi Firm |
| Duration | 2000- |
| Employees | Becky McDonald: Owner/ Switch Operator Steve McDonald: Owner/ Driver/ Switch Operator Karl Munro: Driver Fat Brenda: Night Switch Operator |
Street Cars is a Taxi company which is situated on Rosamund Street and owned by Steve Macdonald and Becky McDonald.
| Roy's Rolls | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Roy Cropper |
| Address | 16 Victoria Street |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | Cafe |
| Duration | 1998- (as Roy's Rolls) |
| Employees | Roy Cropper: Owner/ Chef/ Waiter Hayley Cropper: Waitress Anna Windass: Waitress Sylvia Goodwin: Waitress |
Roys Rolls is a cafe situated on Victoria Street, which is owned by Roy Cropper and Hayley Cropper.
| Prima Doner | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Dev Alahan |
| Address | 18 Coronation Street |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | Takeaway |
| Duration | 2007- (as Jerry's Takeaway) |
| Employees | Dev Alahan: Owner No on screen employees |
Prima Doner is the kebab shop situated on the corner of Victoria Street, which is owned by Dev Alahan. The shop was formerly a DIY store owned by Sally Webster, followed by a Bakery owned by Diggory Crompton, before becoming a Kebab shop which was opened by Jerry Morton before being sold to Dev Alahan in 2008, after Jerry left weathefield for Spain.
| Webster's Auto Centre | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Kevin Webster & Tyrone Dobbs |
| Address | Unit 16 Coronation Street |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | Car Garage |
| Duration | unknown |
| Employees | Kevin Webster: Owner/ Mechanic Tyrone Dobbs: Owner/ Mechanic Tommy Duckworth: Car Valeter |
The garage is owned by Kevin Webster who sold shares to employee Tyrone Dobbs to make him a joint partner. The garage is situated between The Kabin and Underworld on Coronation Street, with an access door onto Viaduct Street.
| Elliot and Sons Master Butchers | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Claire Peacock |
| Address | 14 Coronation Street |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | Butchers |
| Duration | 1999-2010 |
| Reason for Closure | The death of Ashley and Absconding of Claire Peacock |
Elliot and Son was a butchers situated on Victoria Street, owned by Ashley Peacock following the death of his father Fred Elliott, Ashley died in the 2010 tram crash and the butchers has lay empty since. There are future plans for the shop to be turned into a fruit and veg shop.[30]
| For Your Fries Only | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Mr Wong |
| Address | Rosamund Street |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | Fish and Chips Takeaway |
| Duration | 2008- |
| Employees | No current on screen employees |
For Your Fries Only, formelly Wongs Chip Shop, is situated on Rosamund Street next to the Medical Centre and is owned by "Mr Wong". The Chip Shop was introduced when Cilla Battersby-Brown and her friend Yana Lumb worked in the chip shop. Since their departures the chip shop is only referred to in storylines.
| Freshco | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Freshco Ltd. |
| Location | Weatherfield |
| Type | Supermarket |
| Duration | 2000- (as Freshco) |
| Employees | No Current on screen employees |
Freshco is a supermarket situated in Weatherfield. It was formerly known as Bettabuys, and then Firman's Freezers, before finally being taken over by Freshco's. During that time, it was heavily featured in the programme, but as no current character works there, it was phased out in the early 2000's and is now only referred to occasionally by residents (usually after they have been shopping and come home with shopping bags reading "Freshco").
There are three main restaurants residents visit: The Clock, Delphine's, and Valandro's. All three have been popular in recent years.
Valandro's is an Italian restaurant. It was previously used as a secondary setting to restaurants such as The Clock, until equally bought by Carla Connor and Leanne Battersby in May 2007. After the unexpected death of Paul Connor however, Carla pulled out of the transaction, leaving Leanne to fund the cost of buying the business herself; she used money earned from being an escort, combined with a £10,000 loan from Roger Stiles. Amidst a wealth of financial trouble and staffing problems in July 2007, Leanne hired Paul Clayton to work at the restaurant as head chef, Paul later took out a loan in Jack Duckworth's name, and bought a share of the restaurant. The business was failing, so in 2008 Leanne convinced Paul to set fire to the restaurant in order to claim the insurance,[31] resulting in Paul fleeing the country.
The Royal Panda is a Chinese restaurant. It was introduced as the workplace of Xin Chiang when Tina McIntyre and Graeme Proctor go to visit her.
The main NHS medical facilities are located at Weatherfield General Hospital. The wards at the hospital are named after singers including George Formby and Gracie Fields. Martin Platt, Karl Foster and Todd Grimshaw have all worked at the hospital, while Emily Nugent also did voluntary work for the hospital. Marcus Dent also worked here as a Sonographer.
The medical practice situated on the junction between Rosamund Street and Coronation Street. Gail Platt was employed as a receptionist at the practice, until 2010 when she lost the job for reading private medical records. A former Coronation Street resident, Dr Matt Ramsden was employed there while he lived in Weatherfield. Dr Matt Carter is currently the resident doctor at the surgery.
A form of public transport is provided via a bus service called the Weatherfield Wayfarer. The bus can be boarded from the stop on Rosamund Street. A bus shelter there provides Weatherfield residents with a comfortable wait guarded from the elements, however, when Victoria Street was closed due to the construction of the Victoria Court apartment complex, a temporary bus stop was located outside the Medical Centre on the opposite side of Rosamund Street when an alternative diversion route was in operation. The service is currently provided by a Stagecoach bus, branded Weatherfield Wayfarer; however this has not always been so and the bus colours used to be grey. Metrolink trams are also in operation through Weatherfield. Although most residents appear to prefer taking the bus, it has been revealed that Deirdre Barlow takes the tram to work (at the council offices in central Manchester): this was when she arrived home with stained clothes as "someone spilt coffee down me on't tram". The Manchester Metrolink system runs along the viaduct on Viaduct Street, which separates Coronation Street and Jubilee Terrace. Though a tram station has never been witnessed onscreen, there may be one nearby, serving the residents of Weatherfield, as use of the tram system is occasionally mentioned in conversation. The tram has been heard more recently and has been shown on Kelly Crabtree and Natasha Blakeman's exits.
On the 6th of December 2010 a tram crashed off the viaduct at the end of Coronation Street after a gas blast at The Joinery created a hole in it. The track was damaged causing it to derail. The tram was not in service at the time; sending the front end of the tram into Dev and Sunita's Corner Shop and the other end into The Kabin.
It is not the first time in Weatherfield's history that such a disaster has happened; notably the derailment of a goods train in 1967.