ITV steps up Manchester move plans

The building to the right of Coronation Street on the aerial map, with the six squares on the top is where the inside scenes are filmed.

The warehouse building used to be a major part of the Granada Studio Tours - its quite a big building.

These are pictures I took when I was in Manchester from the old enterance of the Granada Studios Tours. You can see the Warehouse in these shots. The area is mainly used as a carpark now that the tours have closed and until recently they used it for the outside set of Davenports.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a238/Jez2005/GranadaStudioTours2.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a238/Jez2005/GranadaStudioTours.jpg

Whereabouts is the 'fake' Rovers Return?

I did go to the Granada Studios Tour when it was open (The Corner Shop was 'Scott's Provisions at the time!) but have hardly any memory of where everything was.

As I recall when you went through the main entrance there was a load of attractions along each side. Further round near where Roy's Rolls is now was that period street. God knows where that is on the map

It is an oldish aerial map. Since that was done, they ahve built Rosamund Street (where Roys Rolls is). That used to be part of the Sherlock Holmes set.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the internal shot of Whetherfield Arms is actually an old bar area within the old covered Sherlock Holmes set. Only asking as my office once had a Christmas Party on the set and Whetherfield Arms is spookily similar to the bar on that set!!!!!!!!

The fake Rovers Return is at the end of the warehouse (the side nearest to the Corrie set if you know what I mean - sorry I would put an arrow on my picture if I knew how!) - my sister and I had a drink in there in 1997. lol. They also had a 2 Coronation Street shops on site - 1 was in the health centre on Rosamund Street. I went on the Studios Tours twice, cant believe they closed it, I have to make do with seeing the Corrie set from the science museum now when im in Manchester.

Anyway, yes there were all sorts of attractions there - it had a kind of New York feel to it. The actual tour was around 45 mins to 1 hour long and it took place inside the warehouse - they used to show you how to do a news bulletin (it was a replica of the Granada Tonight set I think), weather forcast, they also had a replica of the This Morning set. Where Roy's Rolls is now was the set of a period drama (think it was sherlock holmes)

Tonight's Manchester Evening News has an artist's impression of what the new warehouse will look like, here is a scan of it below.

http://www.rp-networkservices.com/tvforum/uploads/newitvgranadahq.jpg

Off topic, it also says what sites the BBC are likely to move to:

Land at Salford Quays, known as Pier 9 (Most likely to move here)
Quay Street, Manchester
Greengate, Salford
Southern Gateway, Manchester

Further on, the MEN also has an article about a major broadcaster moving to Manchester:

how would one *move a channel* exactly?

Manchester Evening News online article
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f39/Standby2006/Granadabondedwarehouse.jpg
The £18m project will take 12 months to complete with work due to start this summer.
Parts of the Bonded Warehouse have been used for network productions for ITV and independent companies since the tourist attraction closed in 2000.
Granada say they plan "to breathe new life into this substantial and prominent building through a sensitive conversion and restoration of the existing structure".
This will provide new offices, a state-of-the-art news studio and other facilities.

More here

I was only young when I went, but I do remember the fake pub, and the Granada Reports set. We all sat on the sofa it was then and then 2 people did a mock set. Where the chippy/health centre is that was some room with a paltform that moved around to screens about corrie.

I don't remember the "This Morning" set, but there was a Pizza place (I think) and a yellow taxi when you went in to the Studio gates. Also what was that ride that you sat in and the Chairs moved? Lastly there was 10, downing street and a Gaint's kitchen.

Why did Granada stop the tours?

One simple reason - cost to much to maintain. At the same time they sold Camelot Theme Park (nr Chorley in Lancashire) and the American Adventure Park (nr Ilkeston in Derby). This was at at time when Granada plc was splitting itself into 2 companies - the media business called Granada Television and the catering business called Granada Compass (now just called Compass).

The Theme Parks (including Studios Tour) and Hotels (including the Victoria and Albert Hotel - opposite Granada on Quay Street) became part of Granada Compass, but as it was seperate company they did not have the rights to use the land within the studio complex so the only solution was to close it!

I remember Downing Street... and the ride - demonstrated chromakey if I remember rightly.

We went back in 1998, I still have a guide for it somewhere, I think the Warehouse was the main part of the 'Tour', there were several other buildings such as the Cinema ride thing, the futuristic building that had nothing but PC's and TV's, many shops too. There was also the old Baker Street set which was huge, same with the fake Houses of Parliament set, which was used for Granada's First Among Equals then Yorkshire's The New Statesman but I think Granada must have claimed the set back from them.

I don't know why the BBC would want to move to Salford Quays, yes it's a nice area and it's only a stonesthrow from the City, but it isn't in Manchester, the only benefit they would have is that they would be very close to Old Trafford Football Ground.

The proposed buidling doesn't look too bad, nice to see they would add a glass feature to it rather than just the Warehouse. Plus I suppose it's good that the BBC and ITV are keen to commit into Manchester, this safeguards it's future for sometime now luckily.