3 Coronation Street

3 Coronation Street is the second house going east on Coronation Street and is located between No.1 and No.5.

The current owner is Norris Cole, who has lived there since 2000, initially as the previous owner Emily Bishop's lodger. Previous to that, it was Emily and Ernest Bishop's marital home. A widow since 1978, Emily has rarely been alone at No.3, taking in many lodgers including Deirdre Langton, Curly Watts, Percy Sugden and her nephew Spider Nugent. Her kindly nature meant she was usually the first port of call when a neighbour or an old friend needed a bed for the night. In 2013, Norris began to worry about the possibility that he would have nowhere to live following Emily's death, and so she signed the house over to him on the condition that she continued to reside there.

Other past residents include Frank, Ida, Ken and David Barlow, and Dickie and Audrey Fleming. The house was empty for four years between 1964 and 1968 until the Flemings bought it.

Construction
No.3 was built along with the rest of the row between 1900 and 1902. In its original configuration, the house was comprised of a parlour, hallway, kitchen and scullery on the ground floor and a landing and three bedrooms on the first floor, with a back yard containing an outside lavatory. In Coronation Street, it was identical to Nos.7 and 13 and the mirror image of Nos.1, 5 and 9 in that, from a vantage point looking into the house from the front door, the staircase was on the left and the rooms on the right.

Construction was completed on 9th August 1902 and the first family to move in was the Hewitts - the only family name from the Coronation Street of 1902 to survive into the 1960s.

Modifications
Like the other houses in the street, very little money was lavished on No.3 by the landlords and it saw no major upgrades in its first fifty years. The first two families to occupy the house - the Hewitts and the Chads - lived in poverty, and four members of the Hewitt clan died from TB by the end of 1909. Determined to have a clean house, Gertie Hewitt and her surviving children set fire to their furniture and cleansed the rooms with carbolic acid.

The Barlows saw better times in the house; alterations carried out under their watch included the conversion of the third bedroom into a bathroom (with a plumbed-in bath), the kitchen into a living/dining room and scullery into a kitchen, making it one of the more desirable houses in Coronation Street at that point.

In 1964, Frank Barlow won £5,000 on Premium Bonds and put No.3 on the market, moving to a detached house in Cheshire. The house didn't sell right away, and once Frank had left the area, No.3 became an afterthought. It lay empty for four years before being bought by Dickie Fleming and Audrey Bright, who couldn't afford the £975 asking price Ken Barlow wanted for 9 Coronation Street but could manage £400 for the neglected No.3. Sympathetic to the young couple, Len Fairclough offered to do it up free of charge, carrying out repairs to the parlour ceiling which caved in two days after they bought it.

The ever-helpful neighbours carried out a re-decoration of the back room (and, presumably, other rooms) in both 1971 and 1972, for Ken Barlow and Ernie and Emily Bishop respectively. Ken also had a telephone installed at No.3. The Bishops were content with their house the way it was and made few changes; the only work carried out over the next 25 years (other than the occasional re-decoration) was the installation of a new front door in 1980 and double glazing in 1989.

In 1999, a romantic evening between Spider Nugent and Toyah Battersby ended in chaos when a candle fell over and set the curtains alight. Spider and Toyah put the fire out but Emily's back room was gutted. Horrified that he'd let his aunt Emily down, Spider tracked down the original wallpaper supplier (as it had been discontinued) and Hayley Cropper repaired the curtains. However, Emily still knew right away that the room had been re-decorated.

Subsequent alterations to the house included the installation of a burglar alarm system in 2000.

Owners
A local landowner who inherited Coronation Street when the previous owner, Sir Humphrey Swinton, died before completion of the new street. Mabel carried on Swinton's work and became the first owner of the houses. In 1904, she married Charles Hardcastle, owner of Hardcastle's Mill, adding all of the properties in Coronation Street to his empire.
 * 1902-1947 - Mabel Grimshaw

Property owner and landlord of several of the houses in Coronation Street.
 * 1947-1960s - Mr. Wormold

A tenant of No.3 since 1938, Frank considered buying the house in February 1961 for £200 but couldn't afford the extra £100 for repairs. He finally bought it at some point before May 1964, when after a £5,000 on the Premium Bonds he moved to a detached house in Cheshire. Frank moved without selling the house, not seeing it as a priority. In 1968, Dickie Fleming and Audrey Bright bought the house for a knockdown price of £400.
 * ?-1968 - Frank Barlow

The teenage couple married soon after moving into No.3. After their marriage broke up in 1970, Ken Barlow rented the house for a while until it was sold to the Bishops in 1972.
 * 1968-1972 - Dickie and Audrey Fleming

Ernie bought No.3 just before his marriage to Emily and they lived there prosperously until Ernie's death in January 1978.
 * 1972-1978 - Ernest and Emily Bishop

Emily continued at No.3 alone after Ernie's death. In 2002, she sold the house to Richard Hillman's company, Kellett Holdings, as part of an equity release scheme. Emily gave the £15,000 lump sum to her nephew Spider Nugent so that he could set up a juice bar in London, and continued on at No.3.
 * 1978-2002 - Emily Bishop

Facing bankruptcy, Richard made two attempts on Emily's life, failing both times, and in 2003 he himself was drowned when he drove the Platts' people carrier into Weatherfield Canal in a suicide bid, with Gail and the kids inside. All of the family except Richard escaped, but in the wake of his death Gail discovered the extent of his financial problems, and warned Emily that creditors could have a claim on her house. Ultimately, this proved not to be the case and the house either reverted to Emily's ownership, or Gail, as the only surviving director of Kellett Holdings, signed the house back over to her neighbour.
 * 2002-2003 - Kellett Holdings

Emily remained as owner of No.3 for another ten years.
 * 2003-2013 - Emily Bishop

Emily signed the house over to her lodger Norris Cole on the condition that she continued to live there. Although she didn't take any money from him, Emily was glad to be rid of the stresses of home ownership.
 * 2013 to present - Norris Cole

Residents

 * 1902-1909 - Samuel Hewitt Sam, his wife Dolly and their four children moved into No.3 as its first tenants on 9th August 1902. They had an unhappy time in Coronation Street as tuberculosis claimed the lives of Dolly and two of the children. After Dolly's death, Samuel married her sister Gertie, who had supported him through his hardships. Samuel also contracted TB and was bed-ridden for six months before his death in 1909.


 * 1902-1905 - Dolly Hewitt Wife of Samuel. Dolly caught TB while pregnant in 1905 and both she and she died without giving birth.


 * 1902-1906 - George Hewitt Eldest son of Samuel and Dolly. George died from TB aged nine in 1906.


 * 1902-1919 - Thomas Hewitt Youngest son of Samuel and Dolly. Thomas was spared TB and went on to fight with the Lancashire Fusiliers in the First World War. In 1918, he was sent home after sustaining a leg injury and married his neighbour, Mary Makepiece. Thomas and Mary then moved into 7 Coronation Street and started their own family.


 * 1902-1938 - Flo Hewitt Eldest daughter of Samuel and Dolly. Flo married Billy Chad in 1920 and as the rest of the Hewitt clan moved on, No.3 became their home. Flo and Billy never had children. They were hit hard during the Depression as Billy had a criminal record; with only Flo's wages from her bar work at the Rovers to sustain them, they often faced starvation. In 1938, Flo's sister Molly Lonswaite visited from Canada and paid for the couple to join her abroad.


 * 1902-1905 - Betsy Hewitt Youngest daughter of Samuel and Dolly. Betsy died from TB shortly after her mother.


 * 1906-1926 - Gertie Hewitt Sister of Dolly and second wife of Samuel. After Samuel's death, Gertie gave birth to twins Molly and Dolly. Gertie continued to live at No.3 with Flo and Billy Chad, until her death from pneumonia in 1926.


 * 1909 - Dolly Hewitt Daughter of Gertie and Samuel and twin sister of Molly. Dolly was the last Hewitt to die from tuberculosis.


 * 1909-1930 - Molly Hewitt Daughter of Gertie and Samuel and twin sister of Dolly. She stayed until January 1930 when she married Artie Lonswaite and moved to Canada with him.


 * 1920-1924, 1926-1938 - Billy Chad Husband of Flo. Bookie's runner Billy grew bored with his wife and ran off with Susie Makepiece in 1924. Two years later, he took his place at the dinner table at No.3 and his disappearance was never referred to again. After losing his job during the Depression, Billy turned to crime and was sent to prison for handling stolen goods. He was unable to find work after leaving prison and they relied on Flo's wages. In 1938, Flo's sister Molly visited from Canada and paid for the couple to join her abroad.


 * 1933-1936 - Iris Chad Iris "Granny" Chad was Billy's mother. She was determined that one of her children would support her and Billy was unlucky enough to have the most comfortable back room. During the bitter winter of December 1936, Granny was found dead on the cludgy, frozen by the cold.


 * 1938-1964 - Frank Barlow 25-year-old postman Frank and wife Ida moved into No.3 on the day before their wedding. During the Second World War, Frank served with the 7th Cheshires and afterwards he returned to the GPO as supervisor. He stayed on at No.3 until 1964, when he won £5,000 on Premium Bonds and moved to a detached house in Bramhall.


 * 1938-1961 - Ida Barlow Wife of Frank. Ida worked at in the kitchens at the Imperial Hotel and was very close to her sons. In 1961, she was hit by a bus and died instantly.


 * 1939-1962, 1971-1972 - Ken Barlow Coronation Street's longest-standing resident was born in October 1939. He was the first resident to pass his eleven plus and go to grammar school, and then later to University, studying English and History. In 1961, Ken graduated and became an English teacher at Bessie Street School. A year later, he married Valerie Tatlock and moved to 9 Coronation Street with Val. He returned to live at No.3 when Val died in 1971. Faced with raising Peter and Susan alone, Ken lasted two months before sending them to live with Val's parents in Glasgow, intending to send for them when he found another mother for them, and the following year he moved in with Albert Tatlock.


 * 1939-1940 - Marjorie Barlow Frank's sister, who moved into No.3 to keep Ida company and help look after baby Kenneth while Frank was away during the war. At the time, Ida and Marjorie worked together at Earnshaw's Mill. She was killed during the Manchester Blitz in 1940 when Elliston's Raincoat Factory was hit by a bomb, burying Marjorie in the rubble.


 * 1942-1961 - David Barlow Younger son of Frank and Ida and brother of Ken. David trained as an engineer but quit the profession when he was signed up for a second division London football team in 1961, and moved down south.


 * 1961 - Nancy Leathers Mother of Ida. She was looked after by the Barlows while she was ill and left to live in an OAP bungalow when Ida died.


 * 1967 - Betty Lawson Mother of two. The Lawsons were found squatting in No.3 by Ena Sharples and Jerry Booth. They were cleared out the council when Len Fairclough reported, despite his sympathies.


 * 1967 - Ronnie Lawson Betty's son.


 * 1967 - Clifford Lawson Betty's son.


 * 1968-1970 - Dickie Fleming Apprentice engineer Dickie Fleming bought No.3 four years after Frank Barlow left. Dickie married his girlfriend Audrey Bright a month after they moved into No.3. In 1970, Audrey's affair with Ray Langton caused Dickie to walk out on her.


 * 1968-1970 - Audrey Bright Wife of Dickie. Audrey was sixteen when she moved to the street. Audrey left No.3 after her marriage broke down.


 * 1969-1970 - Ray Langton Dickie took Ray in as a lodger when Len Fairclough threw him out of No.9 for setting up his own joinery business in opposition with Len. Dickie threw Ray out when he noticed him looking at Audrey, but took him back three months later when a road accident left him in a wheelchair. He returned to No.9 in 1970.


 * 1969-1970, 1972- Emily Bishop The house's longest-standing resident lived there for a month to give Audrey Fleming a break from looking after Dickie and wheelchair-bound Ray. Two years later, she and new husband Ernest Bishop moved in permanently.


 * 1971 - Susan Barlow Ken's six-year-old daughter.


 * 1971 - Peter Barlow Ken's six-year-old son.


 * 1972-1978 - Ernest Bishop Husband of Emily. Ernest died in a wages snatch at Baldwin's Casuals, where he was employed as wages clerk.


 * 1979-1980 - Deirdre Langton Moved in after selling No.5. When Emily married Arnold Swain, Deirdre and Tracy moved into the shop flat.


 * 1979-1980, 2012 - Tracy Langton Deirdre's daughter. In 2012, Emily let Tracy and Amy stay rent-free when they had nowhere else to live, but after a month even Emily's patience was exhausted and she gave Tracy her marching orders.


 * 1980 - Arnold Swain Emily's second husband. He left suddenly when Emily found out he was a bigamist.


 * 1983-1988 - Curly Watts Norman "Curly" Watts lodged with Emily during his days as a bin man. In 1988, he moved into the shop flat with Shirley Armitage.


 * 1985 - Kevin Webster Kevin moved into No.3 when his father and sister moved away, sharing a room with Curly, but left after four months as he found Emily too strict a landlady, preferring to lodge with Hilda Ogden at No.13.


 * 1988, 1988-1991, 1991-1997 - Percy Sugden The former Community Centre caretaker lodged with Emily after being retired from his job and evicted from the flat. He left when his new house at 11 Parliament Street was made ready by the council but was invited to stay permanently by Emily when she saw how unhappy he was in his new surroundings. For nine years, Emily endured his insufferable nosiness and outspokenness (although he briefly moved out in 1991 when Emily put No.3 on the market. He returned when Emily decided not to move as he was allergic to his new landlady's cat). He left over upset caused by their new neighbours, the Battersbys.


 * 1997-1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 - Spider Nugent Emily's eco-warrior nephew came to stay in December 1997. He stayed for two years, moving out due to Emily not letting him have sex with Toyah Battersby in the house. He left Weatherfield in 2000 but would always stay with his Auntie Em whenever he was in the area.


 * 1998 - Log Thwaite Spider's girlfriend stayed for two weeks. Spider was set to leave with her but on the day they were meant to leave, he caught her eating meat and broke up with her.


 * 2000-2006, 2006 to present - Norris Cole Feeling vulnerable living alone after a burglary, Emily offered Norris her spare room in July 2000. Norris gratefully accepted, as he'd decided to give up his room at the Park Road B&B after Tyrone Dobbs's dog Monica had puppies on his bed, defiling his grandmother's bedspread. Norris filled the void left by Percy, and ended up staying at No.3 longer, eventually becoming the house's owner in 2013. His only absence from No.3 was in 2006, when he moved into 10a Coronation Street so that Rita Sullivan could have his room.


 * 2005 - Mel Hutchwright The author of Hard Grinding was a welcome guest at No.3 when he turned up in Weatherfield when the Book Club began a correspondence with him. He left the Street in shame when Ken Barlow exposed him as a conman, taking donations for a new book which would never be written.


 * 2005, 2006, 2009-2010 - Freda Burgess Emily niece by marriage, Freda came to stay in 2005 but left after less than two weeks having had enough of Norris. A year later, she stayed to support Emily when Ernest's killer Ed Jackson sought her out asking for forgiveness. Her longest stay at No.3 lasted two months, from November 2009 to January 2010.


 * 2006, 2011 - Rita Sullivan Emily put her longstanding friend Rita up for three months in 2006 as Rita didn't feel safe in her own flat after it was ransacked by Stuart. Rita stayed there for another three-month period from December 2010 to March 2011 while repair work was carried out at her flat following the tram crash.


 * 2008 - Jed Stone Emily ran into Minnie Caldwell's old lodger at the hospital, and, after finding out he was homeless, invited him to stay at No.3. He disappeared on Christmas Eve, forced into hiding in Wigan when Tony Gordon tried to kill Jed to prevent him from exposing him as Liam Connor's killer.


 * 2009 - Ramsay Clegg Emily put up Norris's half-brother while he was in the country trying to reconcile with his brother. Given the cold shoulder by Norris, Ramsay left the area, and, having become friends with him, Emily was broken-hearted to learn that he'd passed away on the flight home to Australia.


 * 2010 - Graeme Proctor The local window cleaner lodged with Emily for three months before moving into the Corner Shop flat with Tina McIntyre.


 * 2012 - Amy Barlow Tracy Barlow's daughter briefly stayed at No.3 at the same time as her mother.

Background information

 * The back room and kitchen of No.3 were first seen in Episode 1.
 * By 1968, No.3 was owned by Frank Barlow, however the ownership of the house prior to this is unclear. In Episode 21 (22nd February 1961), Frank was still renting the house when Mary Stubbs, on behalf of the as-yet-unseen owner of the street, offered the residents the chance to buy their houses for £200. No reference to Frank buying the house was ever made on-screen, but it must have been before May 1964, when Frank Pemberton left the programme.
 * The back room and kitchen of No.3 made no on-screen appearances between Episode 7200 (5th November 2009) and Episode 7903 (9th July 2012). From 2010 to 2013, they have appeared in only 22 episodes, making it the least-seen house in Coronation Street in recent years.