Violet Carson
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| Violet Carson OBE | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 1, 1898 Ancoats, Manchester, England |
| Died | December 26, 1983 (aged 85) |
Violet Carson OBE (1 September 1898 – 26 December 1983) was a British actress.
Her mother was an amateur singer and she was born in Ancoats, Manchester. As a child she performed with her sister as a singing act called the Carson Sisters. She then became a cinema pianist providing the musical accompaniment for silent films. She married in Manchester Cathedral, but her husband George died at the age of 28 and she never re-married.
Before her transfer to television Violet Carson was a regular hostess on Children's Hour on the BBC Home Service where she was known as Auntie Vi. She introduced items and sang. She was pianist for the Wilfred Pickles radio show Have A Go from the 1940s. However, she was best known for her role as the gruff moral voice of Coronation Street, Ena Sharples, a role she played from 1960 to 1980. For much of her 20 years on the programme, Ena's moralising caused her to spar regularly with Elsie Tanner, played by Pat Phoenix. Long after her departure from the programme, Carson continued to be synonymous with the hairnet that Ena chose to wear for almost every occasion. However, she had previously enjoyed a long career in entertainment, particularly noted as a singer and a pianist. As a singer, Carson was in the soprano range and was a regular fixture on the Christian hymnal programme Songs of Praise in the 1960s and 1970s.
She was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1965. The character of Ena was a very demanding job. Ironically, the irascible Ena was almost the exact opposite of Carson's real personality.
In the 1970s, Carson suffered a series of strokes and other ailments, and played Ena only sporadically throughout the decade. In April 1980, a storyline involved Ena moving to Lytham St. Anne's, Blackpool to stay with a friend while her flat at the street's community centre was being renovated. When the character returned, the flat was not ready and Ena announced on screen (to characters Ken Barlow and Albert Tatlock) that she would return to her flat — but only if she felt like doing so; it was at this point that Carson became ill with pernicious anaemia and was forced to leave the programme. All storylines involving the return of Ena Sharples had to be scrapped because of Miss Carson's illness, although Ena was still considered a regular member of the cast. She lived in a bungalow in Bispham, Blackpool with her sister Nellie and refused to make any public appearances after her retirement.
Violet Carson died, aged 85, on Boxing Day 1983. She was cremated at Carleton Crematorium, Blackpool, and is commemorated at Bispham Parish Church in Blackpool.
