The Street With No Name is Discovered

FILMING in Greater Manchester continues to grow, with more and more indies and broadcasters recognising the true potential of the region’s varied landmarks and locations. But there’s one prime location we can guarantee has yet to be captured on film – probably because no-one can actually find it.

“The Street With No Name sounds like something from a Harry Potter film, but it’s actually a place, right in the heart of Levenshulme, Manchester, and it’s a perfect filming location,” explains Susan Williams, Greater Manchester Film Liaison Officer at Northwest Vision and Media, which works on behalf of the region’s film, TV and digital content sectors.

The Street With No Name is next to Levenshulme Railway Station, and staff are regularly asked by visitors to the town to point out the mysterious location. A sign has now been erected on a wall within the street, which has actually been around for 160 years, but has never been officially named – hence the title.

Susan, together with fellow Film Officer, Emma Welland, is responsible for helping location managers from across the country, and abroad, to find the perfect place to shoot their productions. And they’re always being asked to find a location that stands out from the crowd.

“We know Greater Manchester is packed full of hidden alleyways and secret arches, and to us The Street With No Name seems to sum up the endless array of unexpected and undiscovered filming locations that the city has to offer,” explains Susan.

“That’s why we’ve decided to name The Street With No Name as February’s Location of the Month at Vision and Media, because it typifies the kind of unusual location that Manchester is bursting with,” she adds.

The Greater Manchester Film Office is constantly asked by location managers to come up with weird and wonderful new suggestions for filming, somewhere different, that no other production company has used before. “Sometimes it can be quite difficult coming up with virgin territory in somewhere like Manchester, where TV production in particular has never been more popular, and filming days are at an all-time high,” says Film Officer, Emma Welland.

“We always try to answer all requests for help, though, and regularly go out-and-about in the region, scouting for new locations – which is how we discovered The Street With No Name.

“It’s quite an unobtrusive, cobbled street, but it narrows to a wonderfully enclosed bridge and archway – which we think would make a really atmospheric backdrop, or perhaps the climatic scene of a thriller or horror?” adds Emma.