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Granada Studios Tour

1988 establishments in England1999 disestablishments in EnglandAmusement parks in EnglandBuildings and structures in ManchesterDefunct amusement parks in England
Defunct amusement parks in the United KingdomEngvarB from September 2017History of ManchesterITV offices, studios and buildings
Granada Studios
Granada Studios

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 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 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.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Granada Studios Tour (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Granada Studios Tour
Water Street, Manchester City Centre

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Latitude Longitude
N 53.478333333333 ° E -2.2575 °
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Water Street

Water Street
M3 4JJ Manchester, City Centre
England, United Kingdom
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Granada Studios
Granada Studios
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Granada Studios
Granada Studios

Old Granada Studios (known simply as Granada Studios and previously known as The Manchester Studios) is a television studio complex and events venue on Quay Street in Manchester with the facility to broadcast live and recorded television programmes. The studios were formerly the headquarters of Granada Television and later ITV Granada from 1956 to 2013. After a period of closure, five of the six studio spaces were reopened under the All Studios banner in 2018. The studios are the oldest operating purpose-built television studios in the United Kingdom pre-dating BBC Television Centre by five years.They were previously home to the world's longest-running serial drama, Coronation Street, as well as other long-running shows such as the quiz show University Challenge and the current affairs documentary series World in Action. As well as being the oldest television studios in the United Kingdom, the studios also held the Beatles' first television performance in 1962 and the first general election debate in 2010.Until 2010, the main building, Granada House, had a red neon "Granada TV" sign on the roof, which was a landmark for rail passengers travelling from the west into Manchester city centre. A broadcasting tower was erected at the behest of Sidney Bernstein to give the studios an embellished and professional appearance. The three largest studios each covered over 4,500 square feet (420 m2). The studios were managed by ITV Studios and BBC Resources through a joint venture company, 3SixtyMedia from 2000 until 2013. After a dip in production during the early 2000s, the studios underwent a revival from 2009 until their closure. Countdown moved to Manchester from the Leeds Studios in 2009 and the facility had numerous new commissions including The Chase, Divided, Take Me Out and High Stakes. The studios initially closed in June 2013, and ITV Granada and ITV Studios moved to Dock10's studios at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays. Later that same year, the Granada Studios was sold for £26 million to Allied London and Manchester City Council. Allied London's initial plans for the site involved transforming the studios into residential space. However, plans were changed in 2017 to maintain the studio complex due to demand, and most studio spaces were reopened in 2018. Although there were calls to preserve the old Coronation Street exterior set, it was demolished as part of redevelopment work in 2017. Other areas knocked down were Studio 4 and the remaining Granada Studios Tour entrance. The studios' former office block, Granada House is being converted into a hotel and office space.