Where is Coronaton Street Filmed?
Filming location for the fictional town of Weatherfield explained
As part of the celebrations, ITV has released photographs of the show’s set to demonstrate just how far it has come in the past six decades.
ITV has released a photograph showing the aerial view of Coronation Street’s filming site to mark the show’s 60th anniversary. (Photo: ITV/PA Wire)
Much-loved soap Coronation Street is marking its 60th anniversary this week.
As part of the celebrations, ITV has released photographs of the show’s set to demonstrate just how far it has come in the past six decades.
Here, we take a look at where the show is filmed and how locations have changed.
Where is Coronation Street set?
Coronation Street, which first aired on 9 December 1960, is set in the fictional town of Weatherfield in Greater Manchester.
Some of the architecture of the town is understood to be inspired by a part of Salford from some time ago.
The fictional town has seen plenty of on-screen drama, with 57 births, 146 deaths and 131 weddings over the years, according to ITV, alongside plenty of other action.
It is also home to several schools including Bessie Street Primary School, many local businesses and shops such as Viaduct Bistro and pubs including The Rovers Return Inn.
The Rovers Return Inn is a key location on the set (Photo: ITV/ PA)
Where is Coronation Street filmed?
Coronation Street is mainly filmed on a purpose-built 7.7-acre site in Media City UK on the canal side in Trafford in Greater Manchester.
The show has been filmed at the site since 2014 and is the fifth major interpretation of the set.
The set is located next to both Salford and Manchester and was expanded in 2018, now making up six dedicated studios for the show.
An aerial view of Coronation Street’s filming site in MediaCityUK. (Photo: ITV/PA)
Fans could even go on a tour of the set, though they are currently not operating due to Covid-19 restrictions.
On the tour, visitors could see the sets for Coronation Street, Rosamund Street and Victoria Street which are all on the MediaCity site.
“All of the show’s famous external landmarks can be seen on the tour including the Rovers Return, Roy’s Rolls Café, Audrey’s Salon and The Kabin, the new street extension including the community garden, and areas behind the scenes showing how the show is made,” the tour website said.
Where did it all begin?
While the show now has an impressive set for the 400people it takes to create an episode, it all came from much more humble beginnings.
The show was first filmed at studio two at Granada Television in Manchester on a small wooden set representing the street for its cast of 12.
The famous cobblestones were painted on the floor, according to ITV. It later moved to the bigger studio six.
One of Coronation Street’s sets in the early years (Photo: ITV/PA)
In 1967, the wooden studio set was made waterproof and set up outside at a cobbled railway yard outside the bonded Warehouse from British Rail. This coincided with a storyline that featured a train crash that is thought to have sparked the move outdoors.
A change from black and white to colour saw the wooden set replaced with a brick one in 1970.
The program continued to become more successful and its sets were eventually rebuilt in the early 1980s, and an internal studio space was created in the 1990s.
The production eventually moved to the state-of-the-art Media City UK site in 2014.
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