Cobbles fit for Coronation Street
If you are a keen soap fan and in particular a Coronation Street fan you may or may not notice a number of little changes to the set next spring as the show is about to move to a new set while the producer equip us for a brighter future.
In January 2014 the show will be beamed to our TV screens from a brand new set in Salford Quays, Manchester and over the past two-and-a-half years builders have been busy recreating the famous terraced street.
A number of small changes have been introduced such as larger houses and a wider road allowing 2 cars to pass but probably the most noticeable will be the Rovers Return having two upstairs windows instead of one.
Steptoes Yard provided a lot (if not all) of the reclaimed cobbles, which were used for the road in the newly developed set, the producers have made a big fuss, and rightly so, about getting the details exactly right; even down to having the same puddles in the road when it rains.
Steptoes Yard supplied the reclaimed cobbles to ASKAM Construction Streets who were awarded the contract to build the new Coronation Street set.
The scope of work comprised building ‘The New Street’ and associated buildings without losing the character of the Street. Intricate detailing throughout was critical to ensure that the finished set appears identical to the existing Coronation Street that viewers have been familiar with for over 50 years.
Due to modern high definition TV the attention to detail will be scrutinised by all arm-chair viewers, right down to the placement of each cobble and the external cladding on Jack and Vera’s old house!
Askam worked closely with project managers MACE, ITV and the Coronation Street production team to ensure the exact specification of the works is achieved and Steptoe’s Yard Ltd are very proud to have been a part of this project, which should look good for another 50 years of the UK’s favourite soap opera.
As massive fans of the show, the team at Steptoes Yard are very excited about seeing cobbles prepared by us in our yard ‘starring’ in one of the worlds most famous and iconic soaps.