| abstract | - Elsie Lappin (née Castleway, previously Foyle) was the owner of the Corner Shop in Coronation Street from 1945 to 1960. A variety singer in her youth, Elsie's singing days ended when she injured her vocal chords at twenty-three. In 1930, she married widower Tommy Foyle and ran the Corner Shop in Coronation Street with him until his death in 1945. They had two children together, Hilda and Shelagh. Elsie enjoyed working behind the counter and took over the running of the shop when Tommy was confined to bed after a stroke. When rationing laws were in place during World War II, Elsie helped her neighbours by buying black market goods to supplement their allotments. Elsie's scheme was rumbled by the police and she was fined. The war ended on 8th May 1945, but as the other Street residents celebrated, the Foyles mourned the passing of Tommy who died from a heart attack. An invalid in his later years, Tommy had urged Elsie to remarry so she wouldn't have to run the shop alone after his death, and although she could cope perfectly well at the shop Elsie did get married again, to Les Lappin in 1947. Elsie was a widow again in 1952 when Les died from a heart attack. Hilda and Shelagh remained at the shop until 1957 and in 1960 Elsie decided to retire. Buying a bungalow at Knott End, she sold the shop to Florrie Lindley. After the sale, Elsie remained for a few days to show Florrie the tricks of the trade and warn her about the neighbours. Elsie Lappin was played by actress Maudie Edwards. The character appeared in episodes Episodes 1 and 2 and spoke the very first words on Coronation Street. As a long-standing proprieter of the Corner Shop who was just leaving Coronation Street when the series began, little was revealed about Elsie's life on-screen, but her backstory was expanded upon significantly by Daran Little in his published books Weatherfield Life and Around the Coronation Street Houses. Most of the information on this page comes from those works.
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