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No3 door

Front door of No.3 in 2023

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

The house is currently owned by Ed and Aggie Bailey, who purchased it from Norris Cole in 2019. Their son Michael and granddaughter Glory are also in residence. Norris had been given the house by his landlady, Emily Bishop, in 2013. Previous to that, it was Emily and Ernest Bishop's marital home. A widow since 1978, Emily's kindly nature meant she was usually the first port of call when a neighbour or an old friend needed a bed for the night. She was rarely alone at No.3, taking in many lodgers besides Norris including Deirdre Langton, Curly Watts, Percy Sugden and her nephew Spider Nugent.

Other past residents include Jude, Angie and George Appleton, 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.

History[]

Construction[]

No32020

House exterior in 2020

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 11 and the mirror image of Nos.1, 5, 9 and 13 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.

Alterations[]

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. By 1964, Frank Barlow was the only member of the family still in residence. When he left the street, 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.

No

The back room in 2012

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 and new roof tiles being added in 2016.

The most radical changes to the property were made when the Bailey family arrived in 2019. Ed, a self-employed builder, transformed the house which had barely changed since the 1970s, demolishing the walls between the front room, back room and hallway and remodelling the reception area, moving the staircase into the living room. Notorious for leaving building jobs unfinished, Ed didn't complete the banister on the new staircase until 2021, after two years of nagging from Aggie.

During the initial renovation work, Michael Bailey knocked a hole in the wall between No.3 and No.1 whilst trying to remove plaster. A noise war erupted between the Baileys and the Barlows next door, which Aggie fought by playing Chopsticks on Ernie's old piano.

List of owners and residents[]

Owners[]

  • 1947-1968 - Mr Wormold
    Property owner and landlord of several of the houses in Coronation Street. After 1964, the property was neglected and four years later Dickie Fleming and Audrey Bright were able to buy it from Wormold for a knockdown price of £400.
Emily richard

2002: Standing to benefit financially from Emily's death, a bereft Richard Hillman moves in for the kill...

  • 2002-2003 - Kellet Holdings
    Facing bankruptcy, Richard made two attempts on Emily's life, failing both times, and in 2003 he himself was drowned when he drove the Hillmans' 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 Kellet Holdings, signed the house back over to her neighbour.
  • 2013-2019 - Norris Cole
    Emily signed the house over to her lodger Norris Cole on the condition that she continued to live there, after Norris expressed his fear that he would have nowhere to live after Emily passed away. Although she didn't take any money from him, Emily was glad to be rid of the stresses of home ownership.
  • 2019 to present - Ed and Aggie Bailey
    Norris sold the house to the Baileys after making a tough decision to start a new life with fiancée Freda Burgess in June 2019. The new owners, the Baileys, were downsizing after Ed's gambling addiction caused them to lose their previous home.

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 died in childbirth, along with her child.
  • 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.
  • 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.
Frank barlow

In 1960, No.3 was bustling with activity. Two years later, only postman Frank, head of the household, remained

  • 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 Wilmslow.
  • 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 a 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 managed two months as a single father 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.
Episode968

Teenager Audrey Fleming had an affair with Ray Langton, finding no excitement in her life with husband Dickie

  • 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 to Len. Dickie then 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.
EmilyBishop1990

Emily Bishop, the house's longest-standing resident

  • 1969-1970, 1972-2016 - 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. She remained there for 44 years, most of that time as a widow. In early 2016, Emily went to Peru to embark on charity work alongside nephew Spider Nugent, and never returned to the street.
  • 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.
Percy Sugden 1990

Percy Sugden tried to run No.3 like a military camp, requiring Emily to frequently put him in his place

  • 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. Her only respite from Percy came in 1991, when she put No.3 on the market and Percy was forced to find other accommodation. When it emerged that Percy was allergic to his new landlady's cat, Emily cancelled the house sale and let him move back in. He finally left in 1997 over upset caused by their new neighbours, the Battersbys.
  • 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, 2006-2018 - 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. He was absent twice from No.3, first was in 2006, when he moved into 10a Coronation Street so that Rita Sullivan could have his room, and in 2018 when he left to visit Emily at her niece Freda's in Edinburgh, and as of 2019 decided to go travelling with them. He later returned to sell up No.3, after he revealed he was engaged to Freda Burgess. Norris left with Freda a new life in Edinburgh.
  • 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.
Freda burgess

Ernie's deaf niece Freda was made welcome by Emily whenever she paid a visit, but not so much by Norris

  • 2005, 2006, 2009-2010 - Freda Burgess
    Emily's 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.
  • 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.
  • 2012 - Amy Barlow
    Tracy Barlow's daughter briefly stayed at No.3 at the same time as her mother.
  • 2016 - Kirk Sutherland
    With Emily away in Peru, Norris allowed Kirk to move in during June following a break-up with his wife Beth. The couple reunited a week later and Kirk returned next door to No.5.
  • 2017-2018 - Jude Appleton
    Son of Mary Cole. He moved in following his return from South Africa with his wife and son when stepfather Norris agreed to put the family up. He left the street in shame when he was exposed as a compulsive liar.
  • 2017-2019 - Angie Appleton
    Wife of Jude. Angie and her son George stayed on a few more months, leaving when she was offered a job back in South Africa.
  • 2021 - Grace Vickers
    Michael's pregnant girlfriend who was asked to move in with the Baileys, rather than live with her aunt in Hull. After discovering that Michael was only staying with her so as not to be apart from their daughter Glory, Grace blackmailed Ed and Aggie into letting her their property in Gable Street rent-free in exchange for not cutting the family off from Glory.
  • 2021, 2021 to present - Glory Bailey
    Daughter of Grace and Michael. When Grace left Weatherfield, she had a solicitors' letter drawn up stating that she wished Michael to have her.
  • 2022 - Dee-Dee Bailey
    Daughter of Ed and Aggie. Stayed for a few weeks after returning from working in Los Angeles. After quitting her job, she moved into the shop flat.

Background information[]

See also[]

Category:Residents of 3 Coronation Street

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