|
Granada
Television Studios (Former)
 Granada Television was one of the
original Independent Television franchises. It was
founded by Cecil and Sidney Bernstein owners of the
Granada cinema chain. The name apparently came from a
visit Cecil made to that area of Spain.
Soon after the Bernsteins were awarded
the franchise, they built a brand new studio complex, on
bomb clearance land close to the River Irwell in
Manchester. Granada House was designed by Ralph Tubbs
and opened in 1962
Over the years Granada
has produced many of the iconic television programs of
the following decades. Without question though the
program that has world-wide recognition is Coronation
Street and the set for that famous street is located
between the Granada House and the Museum of Science
and Industry. At one point Granada offered a tour of
their production facilities and fans were able to walk
"The Street". You can just glimpse the terrace of
houses behind a less than glamourous plywood wall.
 Between 1988 and
1899 Granada offered Studio Tours which provided
an opportunity for the public to walk around the
familiar sets from programs like Coronation
Street and Sherlock Holmes. This Granada
Theme Park was a popular attraction but over
time attendance numbers fell and the Tours were
drawn to an end. Some of the sets were
demolished and the space used for an expansion
of the Coronation Street set. The entrance
on Water Street remains as a reminder of those
days.
 ITV's new studios next to
the Imperial War Museum in Trafford Park,
opened in 2014 and they moved out of their
city centre building. The new facility
included a new Coronation Street set.
Below are some images
taken in May of 2014.
   |
