The contractor behind the new Coronation Street set has revealed the behind-the-scenes secrets of the build as it’s set to appear on TV screens for the first time.
7,000 cobbles were reclaimed from the original Coronation Street set to pave Victoria Street, the latest addition to the fictional Manchester suburb of Weatherfield,
To extend the set, a total of 200,000 bricks and brick slips were laid, with 2,500 tonnes of cast stone, 6,500 tonnes of concrete and 350 tonnes of tarmac holding the extension together.
Bolton-based Seddon, one of the UK’s largest privately-owned contractors, began working on the project in July 2017 and over an eight month period its team of 50 constructed the brand new part of Weatherfield, which includes a tram stop and a community garden.
Working a total of 97,570 man hours on site on 4,550m2 of scaffolding, the team completed the build alongside live filming at the adjacent original set and downed tools whenever the camera was rolling. The total time stopped for filming amounted to seven days.
Michael Sharkey, operations manager at Seddon, said: “This was a fantastic project to work on, expanding the iconic set of one of the UK’s best-loved soaps and the pride of the North West.
“The team worked hard in a live filming environment to bring Victoria Street to life and we can’t wait to see what it looks like from our TV screens.”
The new set will be seen for the first time on ITV at 7.30pm on Friday 20 April.