Owen's yard in 2013.
The Builders Yard is a yard on Victoria Street which has featured in the Coronation Street serial since the show began. originally run by Len Fairclough, it was taken over by Bill Webster on Len's death. It was later run by Owen Armstrong and then Jason Grimshaw and Pat Phelan.
1960-1984[]
In 1961, Len Fairclough owned the builders yard and ran his business from there. He took on workers such as Jerry Booth and Ray Langton. All three of them were handy with their fists when need be, more so Len and Ray.
In December 1983, Len died in a car crash while driving back to Weatherfield. He was supposed to be on a job in another area, and Rita wondered why he was in a totally different area. Rita checked the redial button on the yard's phone and the last call made was to a woman. It turned out Len had been secretly having an affair. For a few months, the yard remained empty.
1984-1985[]
For a few months during 1984, Bill Webster took over the running of the yard, after Rita Fairclough agreed to let him use it.
1985-1988[]
In January 1985, the yard remained empty after Bill married Elaine Webster and moved to Southampton to start a new life. Then Terry Duckworth took an interest in running it with his mate Curly Watts. He remained at the yard until May 1987 when he ran off with the wife of an old army pal, Pete Jackson. Curly tried to soldier on, running the yard on his own, but was struggling. Curly made the decision to give up working at the yard and take up studying at college instead. In late 1987 until the spring of 1988, the yard was empty again.
In May 1988, Alan Bradley talked to Rita about his interest in working at the yard, to try to expand his security system business selling alarms. She wasn't happy, but agreed and Alan had the yard refurbished. Martin Platt was looking for a job, so Alan took him on as his assistant. In the summer Alan started seeing a client named Carole Burns, leaving Rita for her. Rita demanded he return the money she'd foolishly given to him and vacate the yard. Alan moved out of No.7 and complied with Rita's demands - although his business was effectively over as the bank and Carole both refused him a loan. In November 1988 Alan left the yard to start up a security business in Curzon Street.
1989-1996[]
The yard wasn't seen on screen or mentioned during this period.
1997-2003[]
2003-2010[]
Charlie Stubbs ran the yard from 2003 to 2007, and he employed Jason Grimshaw there as his laborer. After Charlie was murdered by girlfriend Tracy Barlow in January 2007, Bill Webster ended up buying up the yard again. He kept Jason on at the yard and they became good friends. Bill reluctantly employed David Platt, the grandson of his girlfriend Audrey Roberts, on as an apprentice, but sacked him several times due to David's trouble-making and trying to sabotage work at the yard, such as cutting up perfectly good wood and resulting in Bill losing money. David's time at the yard came to an end after he nearly killed Jason when loosening the screws on a balcony, resulting in Jason falling and being badly hurt.
Feeling age was finally getting to him, Bill sold the yard to builder Owen Armstrong in August 2010 and retired. Although Jason was worried about his job, Bill assured him his job was safe.
2010-[]
During his four years running the yard, Owen employed Chris Gray (who later got sacked), his daughter Izzy Armstrong's boyfriend Gary Windass and then Tina McIntyre to handle the books. In 2014 Tina was pushed off the balcony of the Builder's Yard and beaten over the head with a pipe by Rob Donovan, resulting in her dying in hospital from her injuries.
Due to crippling debt thanks to being conned by Pat Phelan, Owen ended up reluctantly selling the yard to Jason's father Tony Stewart. Tony appointed Jason as the new boss as a gift, and also helped out at the yard. Owen ended up leaving the area in 2015 when his relationship with girlfriend Anna Windass didn't work out. Tony himself later left the street later that year after breaking up with partner Liz McDonald, leaving Jason to run things with mother Eileen Grimshaw.
In 2016, Jason employed Owen's nemesis Pat Phelan as a builder, not knowing about what he had done to Owen. Jason got along with Phelan and kept him on, despite being warned by Anna Windass about his true nature. Phelan began dating Eileen and took the opportunity to weasel his way into the business. After Tony died from a heart attack, Phelan convinced a heartbroken Jason to take a break away and leave him to run things. Jason accepted and left Weatherfield, leaving a victorious Phelan in charge.
Phelan used the builder's yard as a front for his criminal activities and to screw over the Coronation Street residents.
Phelan's reign at the yard ended in 2016 when he was exposed as a serial killer responsible for killing a few of the local residents, and was killed by Anna. Gary began to help manage the builder's yard until 2019, when he himself left to pursue a career as the street's newest supervillain.
The moving yard[]
The Builder's Yard seems to have moved around Weatherfield during the history of Coronation Street. Nothing has been suggested that they are different premises so it must be the same yard. Originally the yard was on Mawdsley Street.
In 2005 when Ray Langton returned to Weatherfield after 27 years, he stared at the Builder's Yard whilst driving (and resulted in him almost knocking over his granddaughter Amy Barlow). It seemed spotting the yard jogged Ray's memories of the past, implying it is indeed the same yard that he and Len worked at all those years ago.