Ena Sharples
Encyclopedia : E : EN : ENA : Ena Sharples
| Coronation Street character | |
 | |
| Ena Sharples | |
|---|---|
| Played by | Violet Carson |
| Duration | 1960-1980 |
| Date of Birth | November 14, 1899 |
| Date of Death | 1984 |
| Marital Status | Widowed |
| Occupation | Mission Caretaker |
| Family | Alfred, Vera (both deceased) |
Ena Sharples was one of the original characters of the long-running British soap opera, Coronation Street.
Ena, played by Violet Carson between 1960 and 1980, was the caretaker of the mission hall, and spent much of her time criticising the activities of the other inhabitants of the Street. She almost always wore a double-breasted coat and hairnet, and, with her two cronies, Martha Longhurst and Minnie Caldwell, would spend much of her free time in the snug of the Rover's Return drinking milk stout. For many years in the UK, the nickname "Ena Sharples" would be applied to a battleaxe.
Over the years, her friends left her one by one (Martha Longhurst died in the snug of a heart attack, and Minnie Caldwell left to live in Whaley Bridge with Handel Gartside), until acquaintance Albert Tatlock was the only one left to keep her company. When Minnie left the Street in 1976, Albert and Ena got drunk in the Snug and reminisced about the good ol' days.
Ena had known rough times, having been seen to work on a loom at Palmerstone's Mill at the age of 11. Her husband Alfred had died tragically young, and her son Ian drowned. Her daughter Vera considered herself too good for Ena, and when they did finally become close in late 1966/early 1967, Ena was heartbroken to discover it was because Vera was dieing of a brain tumour.
1967 was not a good year for Ena; as well as losing her daughter, the viaduct (train bridge) to the south of Coronation Street collapsed, burying the Street under tons of rubble, and Ena was trapped underneath it. Ken Barlow's brother, David, was the hero of the hour, crawling through the wreckage to rescue Ena. Elsie Tanner, Ena's 'mortal enemy' was the first person to ring the hospital to find out how she was - "If that woman were dropped off Blackpool Tower I swear she'd bounce! Cuts, bruises and a broken arm!"
Ena and Elsie had an intriguing relationship. Elsie Grimshaw had moved into Coronation Street during World War II heavily pregnant and recently married to Arnold Tanner, many years her senior. Ena lost no time in lecturing Elsie on her "loose" ways, and, by the time we were first able to eavesdrop on the comings and goings in Coronation Street in 1960, we were under no illusions about how they felt about each other:
''ENA: You come across a Mrs Tanner yet?
FLORRIE: Can't say I have...
ENA: (WITH GLOOMY RELISH) You will. You want to watch her, she's
a bad 'un.''The culmination of this mutual dislike happened when Elsie received an anonymous letter. After first accusing Rovers Return landlady Annie Walker, Elsie accused Ena, which led to an absolutely superb sequence in which the two ladies faced off. The combination of a superb script by veteran writer Adele Rose, and peerless performances from Violent Carson and Patricia Phoenix make those scenes not only amongst the best of Coronation Street but amongst the best ever seen on British television.
ENA: I know all about you, Elsie Tanner. I could write a book about
you, and I've no doubt that every word of that letter is true...
(ELSIE, WHO IS BEING RESTRAINED BY HER SON DENNIS, TRIES TO STRIKE OUT AT ENA; DENNIA HOLDS HER BACK.)ENA: But you think on this Elsie Tanner...if I had written that
letter it wouldn't have come anonymous...it would have had Mrs Ena Sharples on the bottom in black letters, now stand there and deny it!Which Elsie couldn't. Everyone knew Ena was an interfering old battleaxe, but they also knew that she had the courage of her convictions and was not a hypocrite. In a scene that is just as moving today as it was 32 years ago, Elsie was about to take an overdose until her 'mortal enemy' Ena let herself into the house and talked her out of it.
ENA: I used to watch you during the war...a different G.I. in
every night and your Linda and Dennis left on't'doorstep with 'apporth o'chips...ELSIE: (WITH GREAT VEHEMENCE) Jealous where you, Mrs Sharples?
ENA'S FACE CRUMPLES.ENA: Aye. Aye, 'appen I was...
It was this brilliant combincation of writing and performance that made Ena a real person, not just a two dimensional battleaxe from the music halls.
As time went by, Violet Carson appeared less and less in Coronation Street, making no secret of the fact that she hated the character; she told the British national press in 1978 that "Violent Carson was destroyed the day Ena Sharples first appeared." She also referred to Ena as "a back-street bitch"", and, unhappy with the part, she took a whole year out in 1975. When she returned, Ena's appearances were sporadic. She had not mellowed with the years, she had actually grown perkier, and enjoyed crossing swords with authority. However, no matter how much Granada Television tried to tempt her from her home in Blackpool, she refused. They were very disappointed when H.M. the Queen opened the new Coronation Street set and Violet was too ill to attend.
Violet died of pernicious anaemia in 1983. As a very nice tribute to her, an episode of Coronation Street from January 1967 was screened on ITV.
Trivia
- Ena did not wear her famous hairnet in early episodes of the programme (see photograph); it was later added because Violet Carson had such beautiful, silver hair that it made the character look too refined and sophisticated.
- Violet, a native of Blackpool (a coastal resort in the North West of England) switched on the Blackpool Illuminations (light display) in 1961, then, as now, considered a real honour.
- When she received her OBE in 1965 Order of the British Empire The Queen told Violet "I am a most ardent fan of yours."
- In the programme, Ena Sharples and Elsie Tanner were mortal enemies; in reality, Violet Carson and Patricia Phoenix were the best of friends.
- Ena's hairnet was put up for auction in 2005, and was sold for £65. It was bought by a Dutch gentleman, who had bought it for his mother, she having been a life-long fan of the programme.
- Ena's distinctive overcoat still exists, preserved by Granada TV. When Granada operated the tour of their studios, it took pride of place in the 'costume museum' section. Sadly, the tour has not operated since 1999, but the present author is proud to have been able to touch Ena's coat!
External link
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