Coronation Street’s new Weatherfield precinct launches – with charity shop
Melanie May | 6 December 2022 | News
Coronation Street unveiled a new set last week – complete with a charity shop.
Weatherfield Precinct has been visited by the residents of Coronation Street for decades but this is the first time viewers have been able to see it. Among the shops is the Gregory Pope Foundation charity shop.
The precinct’s two storey construction features maisonettes, a staircase and balcony leading to the them, a piazza, children’s play area, and a range of accessible local shops and units – and resides on the programme’s 7.7 acre site in Trafford, near Manchester.
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The set was built in nine months, designed and developed by the Coronation Street Design and Construction teams. It has been designed, aged and weathered to look like a typical 1960s built shopping precinct.
The charity shop will be one of the first sets to provide a new workplace for residents when Roy Cropper and Evelyn Plumber volunteer their services there.
Producer Iain MacLeod commented:
“Hats off to our design and construction teams who have conjured a totally convincing new precinct for our drama! They took their inspiration from Salford’s many real-world, late 20th century shopping areas and what they have created is a brilliant, characterful space to tell a diverse range of stories. Expect to see teens hanging out at the dessert shop, families enjoying the play area and, after dark, a rogues’ gallery, up to shady business in the ginnels. I am really excited by the arrival on screen of this much discussed but never seen corner of the Weatherfield universe.”
Head of Design Rosie Mullins said:
“Weatherfield Precinct was inspired by the 1960s shopping precincts that we see across many areas of the UK. In designing this the team gathered hundreds of images with a particular focus given to those in our local Manchester and Salford area. I wanted there to be aspects of the Precinct that people from all walks of life identify with and recognise. I wanted it to reflect how communities develop but aspects of them can also feel like stepping back in time.
“In this Precinct we find an array of businesses, a playground, residential flats, a small ginnel, Weatherfield community hub and a very colourful community recycling centre. Working with Iain on what the writing team needs from the Precinct has meant that we have managed to pack so much into this new set! I cannot wait to see the arrival onscreen of Sweety Nuff dessert & milkshake shop, Gregory Pope Foundation Charity Shop, Rutlands bakery, Pound Outlet and Bargainanza Pawnbrokers.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.