Coronation Street unveils Victoria Street set expansion

Fans of the long-running saga will soon be seeing more of Weatherfield.

The area surrounding the familiar terraced houses, Rovers Return, corner shop, café and newsagents has heretofore been a figment of viewers’ imaginations, but soon fans will be able see what life is like beyond the cobbles of Britain’s most famous street.

A fantastic new retail area – the result of months of planning and building – boasts shops, eateries, an urban garden, Weatherfield North tram stop and a police station.

A specially commissioned, mosaic covered, memorial bench has pride of place in the urban garden in memory of Corrie aficionado Martyn Hett and other victims of last year’s Manchester Arena bomb attack.

In a nod to the programme’s 57-year history cobbles reclaimed from the old Quay Street site – home to the residents of Coronation Street from 1982 until 2013 – have been used to create the road on the new set.

The development of the new set has taken over three years from concept to completion, ITV note, and is a continuation of the 1999 addition of Victoria Street where Prima Doner, Roy’s Rolls, Community Centre, Victoria Court and the builder’s yard are situated.

It has been aged up to look as though it has been around for years and allows for more filming opportunities, reducing the need to film on location. Product placement deals mean that for the first-time real retail outlets will be represented on the set in the shape of Costa Coffee and a Co-op.

Round the corner from the main area is a modern two storey police station which will eventually have a reception, cells, corridors and interview rooms. A Nuttalls brewery building houses a production construction workshop, utilising the large interior space.

“The Victoria Street extension represents an exciting chapter in Corrie history: an amazing new stage, full of dramatic potential. Our amazingly talented design team have created everything from scratch – but it still manages to have the feeling of always having been there, just around the corner.” – Kate Oates, Series Producer

‘Wider Weatherfield’ will be seen on screen for the first time on Friday 20th April.