A new set for Coronation Street in Salford has been built using reclaimed bricks and setts supplied by Reclaimed Bricks Ltd for Lancashire Brick & Tile. A total of 144,000 reclaimed bricks and 54,000 reclaimed setts were supplied, many reclaimed from canalside demolitions in Salford and Eccles.
 
Reclaimed Brick writes:
Nineteen different types of brick, seven different types of mortar and a whole heap of cobbles were needed to 'get the look' and make the new Coronation Street a 'seamless' transition from the old one. And we think you'll agree those brickies and cobble-layers have done a pretty fine job!
 
Paul Sutton of Lancashire Brick & Tile told the BBC:
"It was a tricky process because of the pressure of trying to match as best you can, almost brick for brick … And the type of bricks originally used to build the more modern houses on the other side of the road have since been discontinued. We had to get the brick factory manager to come across and remind himself of what was done 15 years ago and get these purpose made for this street."
 
The set was designed by Bill Jenkins who designed the 1982 set. Manchester Evening News writes: "I look at detail such as the puddles on the street and I'm looking for flaws in the set to see if a patch repair can be identified, as well as the storylines too of course," Bill Jenkins chuckles. "After all, the Street is part of the family. We watch the show together and it's great to say 'I worked on that.'"
 
The move to Trafford Wharf, MediaCity - to meet the demands of high definition and 3D television - is Bill's most ambitious project to date.
 
Bill explains: "The size, colour, age and texture of materials is important and we have to get the mortar mix right. For the move of the Street we have painstakingly spent a lot of time recording every final detail. And it has been painstakingly upsized for the move so that viewers don't notice the difference."
 
If a brick or cobble looks too new for the street it is thrown into a cement mixer to remove the edges and add scars. Fifty four thousand cobbles and 150,000 bricks of all shapes and sizes were selected for the new street at MediaCityUK. Bill adds: "What we have done over at Trafford Wharf has never been done before. It's a unique project. It is one of the most iconic building developments of the most recognised street in the world. The feedback we have had is that we are safeguarding the country's heritage.
 
"Thinking back over the bricks and cobbles, we have sent away car boots full because they weren't right and it has been a long process. But it is paying dividends now. You now walk along Trafford Wharf and get a sense of déjà vu."
 
Bill helps to solve a conundrum that continues to spark debate among fans - is Coronation Street paved with cobbles or setts, and what is the difference between the two?
 
"Cobbles have seen water action and they are a square stone that looks like a Hovis loaf," he answers carefully but without hesitation.
 
"They are rounded and softer than a sett which is more angular, like a cube.
 
"Coronation Street has cobbles but Victoria Street has a mix of cobbles and setts. To get the new cobbles has been one of the hardest challenges that I have undertaken.
 
"They have to be the same size, same shape and colour and that's difficult when some are black and some are tinted pink."
 
Artists have added the finishing touches to the new set including weathering, staining, mould growth, rusting and the 'Dennis Tanner 1951' graffiti carved by Dennis into the windowsill of number 11 when he was nine-years-old. Graffiti etched on Websters' Auto Centre has also been recreated.
 
The street is now wider and the Rovers Return has two upper windows instead of one. Some setts have been relaid because the puddles were too deep when it rained.
 
ITV had to move the long-running soap from its set at the 13acre Granada Studios in Quay Street, central Manchester, which was built in 1982, to the 7acre site at MediaCityUK, Trafford Wharf Road, two miles away, as part of a £26m redevelopment sale of Quay Street, mainly for housing.
 
Coronation Street takes its name from the crowning of Edward VII in 1902.