Coronation Street: The Tour

Granada Studios Tour was an entertainment theme park at the Granada Studios complex in Castlefield, Manchester, England which operated from 1988 to 1999. The park was located in the heart of Manchester city centre adjacent to the Granada House building.The tour attracted over 5 million visitors, but visitor numbers were waning by the late 1990s and Granada Television had to prioritise other parts of its business such as the failing ONdigital (ITV Digital) service. As a result, the Granada Studios Tour closed to the general public in 1999 and for good in 2001. The Coronation Street set – part of the original theme park – was temporarily re-opened to the public in April 2014 for a six-month period, and its popularity meant it stayed open until December 2015.HistoryProposalThe park was the brainchild of Granada producer David Plowright, who had long been interested in developing the land around the Granada Studios complex in Manchester. The studio facilities were only used for filming once a week, allowing visitors and production to work harmoniously. Furthermore, much of the land that Granada owned was derelict and underused.Plowright's aim was to create a 'Hollywood-on-the-Irwell', a reference to the River Irwell which runs through Manchester. The Granada Group hierarchy which was the parent of Granada Manchester were pessimistic about Plowright's plans.