Weatherfield
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Weatherfield is a fictional suburb of Greater Manchester in the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Geographically, the district lies to the south-west of Manchester.[1]
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[edit] Weatherfield and Coronation Street
The television soap opera Coronation Street is set in and around the fictional town of Weatherfield.
Tony Warren created Coronation Street in 1960, and based the street's hometown on Salford, close by the television studios where it is produced. Like Salford, Weatherfield is a former industrial town, with most of its infrastructure being put in place thanks to the boom in the cloth and silk industries during the industrial revolution. Housing in Weatherfield is also typical of its former industry, with the majority of dwellings being small Victorian terraces.
Coronation Street, itself a row of terraced houses, is Weatherfield's most famous location. The small street is situated towards the centre of Weatherfield, and is flanked by Rosamund Street (the main thoroughfare towards Manchester) 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 Greater Manchester such as Eccles, [1] Prestwich [2] and also parts of Salford.[3]
[edit] History
People have dwelled in the area now known as Weatherfield since the Roman era.
[edit] Industrial Revolution
Weatherfield grew during the industrial revolution of the 19th century. The town's main industry was, as in many Lancashire towns, cotton manufacture.[2]
The British textile industry never fully recovered after the Great Depression, and its decline continued after the Second World War when it was unable to compete with the growing Indian textile industry.[4]. Weatherfield's mills had all closed by 1931.[2] The industrial revolution also saw the arrival of canals, with Weatherfield being linked to the Manchester Ship Canal. Railways also spurred the growth of Weatherfield.[2]
[edit] Amalgamation
Coronation Street reflected changes in local administration when, in 1974, Weatherfield became part of the Greater Manchester Conurbation following the Local Government Act 1972.[3]
Alf Roberts was chosen as the last mayor of Weatherfield in 1973 by the departing Weatherfield Council. He chose Rovers Return Inn landlady, Annie Walker as his lady mayoress.[4]
Alf Roberts also became mayor of Weatherfield in the late 80's closely followed by his wife Audrey Roberts who challenged him and became the first female Mayor of Weatherfield - again in the early 1990s.
[edit] Modern Weatherfield
After World War II, vast areas of Greater Manchester were re-developed. [5] The 1960s and 1970s saw much of the traditional terraced housing giving way to concrete tower blocks and austere architecture. Weatherfield also saw 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 town became a local centre for clothing manufacture. A PVC factory opened in 1966, with its premises on Coronation Street, manufacturing fashionable PVC clothing.[5] 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[6] to live.
The clothing industry in Weatherfield flourished, with Mike Baldwin opening his underwear factory Underworld in 1996[7] 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.[8] The twinning was cancelled in 1994 after a dispute over bribery in a black pudding contest.[9]
[edit] Areas of Weatherfield
[edit] Town centre
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.[10] 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.[10]
Other streets in the area include Mawdsley Street, Inkerman Street, Crimea Street and Bessie Street.
[edit] Oakhill
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.
In the series, Audrey Roberts and Betty Williams both live in Oakhill. Betty Williams (formerly Turpin) has lived on Hillside Crescent since 1970, having lived at two addresses in the same street.[10] Audrey Roberts moved to 5 Grasmere Drive with her late husband Alf Roberts in 1989.[10]
[edit] Weatherfield Quays
The Weatherfield Quays development was completed in 1989 on the banks of the River Irwell.[11] Mike Baldwin moved into his flat at Montreal House in 1989, where he lived 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 and Danny Baldwin.
Location filming for the Weatherfield Quays takes place at the Salford Quays.
[edit] Newton and Ridley
The Newton and Ridley Brewery was established in Weatherfield in 1781.[12] During the 19th century, Newton and Ridley expanded its operations, moving towards the acquisition and construction of new public houses.
[edit] The Rovers Return Inn
In 1902 Newton & Ridley acquired the freehold to the newly built public house on Coronation Street.[13] 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.
[edit] The Flying Horse
In 1850 Newton and Ridley opened "The Flying Dutchman" at the corner of Jubilee Terrace.[14]. The name was changed in 1905 to "The Flying Horse" for patriotic reasons.[14] 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.[14]
[edit] The Laughing Donkey
"The Laughing Donkey" can be found on Ondurman Street, overlooking North Cross Park. It was the stronghold of Nellie Harvey (Mollie Sugden), acquaintance and nemesis of Rovers Return landlady, Annie Walker.[15]
[edit] The Queens
"The Queens" was built in 1931 and its situated towards the 'trendy' Weatherfield Quays, south of Weatherfield.[16] The pub was introduced to Coronation Street in 1993, seeing current Rovers landlady Liz McDonald installed as landlady by Newton and Ridley.
[edit] The Weatherfield Arms
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 Rover's Return. Other Coronation Street residents such as Bev Unwin and Cilla Battersby-Brown have been employed here.
[edit] Educational institutions
A number of schools and colleges have featured in Coronation Street throughout the years.
[edit] Bessie Street Primary School
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 Ken Barlow, Dennis Tanner, Tracy Barlow, Nick Tilsley and Chesney Battersby-Brown.
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.[17] Esther Hayes, who lived at No.5 Coronation Street until 1962, also worked as a teacher at the school.[18] The role of lollipop man at Bessie Street has been held by Albert Tatlock, Percy Sugden and Jack Duckworth.
The only Coronation Street residents currently attending Bessie Street are Bethany Platt and Joshua Peacock.
[edit] Weatherfield High School
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.[19] The school was created by the amalgamation of the Weatherfield School for Girls' and the Weatherfield Boys' School.[19]
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 refers to him as "sir".
Coronation Street residents currently attending are Ryan Connor, David Platt, Sophie Webster, Chesney Battersby-Brown and Amber Kalirai.
[edit] Oakhill School
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.[20] In 2004 Oakhill reappeared when Rosie Webster was accepted to the school where she continues to study for her GCSEs.
Scenes at Oakhill School are filmed on location at Cheadle Hulme School[21]
[edit] Sport and recreation
[edit] Football
Weatherfield County FC is the town's principal football team, referred to as playing in the Nationwide Conference in the English non-league. The fictional team has appeared in scripts since 1961 when David Barlow was a player.[22] Warren Baldwin was signed for the team in 2004. The team strip is green and white.
[edit] Rugby League
Weatherfield Rugby League Club first appeared in scripts in 1999 when ex-player Duggie Ferguson [6] joined the programme. Shelley Unwin (former Rovers manageress) was barmaid at the club's bar until 2001.
[edit] 'The Red Rec'
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 (soccer) pitches are marked out, and a woodland park area. The recreation ground has featured in the programme since the earl 1960s, and has always been referred to as 'The Red Rec'.[23] The 'Red' in the name comes from the surface which is either red shale or crushed bricks packed down very tightly,[7] however it was suggested in a script from 2000 that the name was given because the site is a former battleground. [8]
[edit] Local press
Weatherfield has its own local newspaper, The Weatherfield Gazette. A free local newspaper also existed until 1990, known as The Weatherfield Recorder.[24]
[edit] Restauraunts
There are three main restaurants residents visit: The Clock and Delphine's have been popular in recent years, but many also eat at Vallendros, an Italian restaurant.
[edit] Health
The main NHS medical facilities are located at Weatherfield General Hospital.
There is also a medical practice situated on the junction between Rosamund Street and Coronation Street. Gail Platt is employed as a receptionist at the practice. A former Coronation Street resident, Dr Matt Ramsden was employed there while he lived in Weatherfield.
[edit] Print references
- Hill, Bill Little, Daran. Weatherfield Life, Boxtree, 1992. (ISBN 1852831863)
- Little, Daran. Life and Times at the Rovers Return, Boxtree, 1993. (ISBN 3-5791-0864-2)
- Little, Daran. p.93. 40 Years of Coronation Street, Granada Media, 2000. (ISBN 0-233-99806-3)
[edit] References
- ^ Little. (1993) p.10.
- ^ a b c Hill, Bill
- ^ Little. (2000) p.93.
- ^ Little. (2000) p.90.
- ^ Little. (2000) p.40.
- ^ Des Barnes. corrie.net. Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Little. (2000) p.234.
- ^ Little. (2000) p.88.
- ^ Little. (2000) p.218.
- ^ a b c d Weatherfield Map. corrie.net. Retrieved on December 22, 2006.
- ^ Little. (2000) p.192.
- ^ Little. (1993) p.10.)
- ^ Little. (1993) p.12.
- ^ a b c Little. (1993) p.85.
- ^ Little. (1993) p.80-82.
- ^ Little. (1993) p.118-121.
- ^ Little. (2000) p.13.
- ^ Little. (2000) p.20.
- ^ a b Little. (2000) p.35.
- ^ Little. (2000) p.212.
- ^ Cheadle Hulme School. imdb.com. Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Little. (2000) p.12.
- ^ Little. (2000)
- ^ Little. (2000) p.195.
