The Rovers Annexe is located right next door to the Rovers Return. Courtesy Airbnb / Fabio De Paola / PA Wire
The Rovers Annexe is located right next door to the Rovers Return. Courtesy Airbnb / Fabio De Paola / PA Wire
The Rovers Annexe is located right next door to the Rovers Return. Courtesy Airbnb / Fabio De Paola / PA Wire
The Rovers Annexe is located right next door to the Rovers Return. Courtesy Airbnb / Fabio De Paola / PA Wire

'Coronation Street' on Airbnb: world's longest-running TV soap opera is open for a sleepover


Hayley Skirka
  • English
  • Arabic

The world's longest-running soap opera is set to host its first overnight visitors.

Fans of UK soap opera Coronation Street can spend the night on the cobbles in the fictional town of Weatherfield.

Staying in a pop-up house called The Rovers' Annexe, two guests will get the chance to immerse themselves in the long-running soap's history.

Clad in the street's quintessential red-brick, the house is right next door to The Rovers Return – the working-class pub where many of the soap's storylines unfold.

The one-bedroom house sleeps two guests and has a classic 'Coronation Street' design, including wood panelling and patterned wallpaper.
The one-bedroom house sleeps two guests and has a classic 'Coronation Street' design, including wood panelling and patterned wallpaper.

Available to book for a one-night stay on Saturday, October 2 only, superfans who reserve the Airbnb will also get a private tour of the set, followed by a hotpot dinner while watching classic Corrie reruns.

What better way to celebrate Britain opening up again than your very own staycation on the nation's favourite Street

Inside, the tiny house doesn't look out of place on the street, with a living room with wood panelling and patterned wallpaper, and a small adjoining dining area. The bedroom has prime Weatherfield views. Guests will also get the chance to pop over to The Rovers Return for a drink, and breakfast will be served courtesy of Roy's Rolls, the street's cafe owned by Roy Cropper.

Located in England's Greater Manchester, The Rovers' Annexe costs £60 ($84) for the night, and the fee is being donated to charity. Bookings will open at 1pm (UK time) on Wednesday, May 26.

The Airbnb listing coincides with Covid-19 restrictions easing in the UK.

"What fan of Coronation Street hasn't had a dream where you find yourself transported into the show itself, wandering around the houses of your best loved characters," said John Whiston, head of continuing drama at ITV.

Breakfast will be served from Roy's Rolls. Courtesy Airbnb
Breakfast will be served from Roy's Rolls. Courtesy Airbnb

"This unique stay gives you the chance to do just that, stay the night and wake up right next to The Rovers Return. What better way to celebrate Britain opening up again than your very own staycation on the nation’s favourite Street.”

The lucky pair who book the stay will be in good company – The Rovers' Annexe looks out towards Audrey's house and is just along the street from Preston's Petals flower shop. Further along the cobbles is Fiz and Tyrone's house, and local grocery store The Kabin.

Although the set interiors will be closed, visitors will be able to wander around Coronation Street as much as they like, and can also take in the nearby Victoria Street and the ginnel, a small back alleyway where lots of Corrie drama has unfolded over the years.

Guests can wander the Coronation Street cobbles as much as they like during the stay. Courtesy Airbnb
Guests can wander the Coronation Street cobbles as much as they like during the stay. Courtesy Airbnb

Coronation Street has been ongoing for more than 60 years, making it the world's longest longest-running TV soap opera.

The series centres around a corner shop and a pub in Weatherfield, a fictional town in northern England. It was first aired on December 7, 1960 and was originally only expected to run for a couple of months.

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Read more:

From Bold and the Beautiful to Neighbours: how popular soap operas are facing the coronavirus

‘Coronation Street’ actor Johnny Briggs dies at 85

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From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

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India squad

Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, K.L. Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.

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THE%20SPECS
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Brief scores:

Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first

Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)

Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15

Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)

Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
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Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances

All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.

Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.

Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.

Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.

Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.

Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.

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Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

The Facility’s Versatility

Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
 
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
 
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
 
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
 
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
 
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
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Transmission: eight-speed auto

Power: 190bhp

Torque: 300Nm

Price: Dh169,900

On sale: now 

PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)

Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)

Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)

Wednesday

Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)

Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)

Norwich City v Everton (9pm)

Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)

Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)

Thursday

Burnley v Watford (9pm)

Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)

Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)