Sir Humphrey Swinton was an influential figure in Weatherfield during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
A century after the Swinton family first began to greatly develop Weatherfield, Sir Humphrey began to implement changes of his own. He closed down Barton Colliery in 1891 to make room for further homes and factories. In 1900, Swinton's largest changes were put into action with the demolition of the oldest dwellings in Weatherfield to make room for the introduction of a new main road to Manchester complete with shops, housing and an infirmary.
Swinton had been educated at Sedbergh School and later Cambridge University where he studied architecture. He married a woman named Helen who over the years began to suffer negatively in regards to her mental health. With his wife's ever need being catered to by a private nurse, Swinton found himself regularly escaping to London where he would indulge his passion for theatre and enjoy the company of his friends away from the constrictions of Weatherfield. It was here where he became smitten with West End performer Rosa Hanbury, his first and only lover outside of his wife, and after their friendship blossomed he took her back to Manchester as his mistress and set her up in a home in Oakhill.
Despite Helen passing away, Swinton was reluctant to marry Rosa as he did not want to upset his ailing mother who would not approve of the partnership. Swinton wanted to delay any marriage until after his mother had passed, but was secretly aware that he himself was a ticking timebomb due to a heart defect that had been passed down through generations on his father's side. With time running out Swinton continued his plans for Weatherfield completing the main new road 'Commercial Lane', which he later named Rosamund Street in honour of Rosa, and Mawdsley Street in 1900. He would never see his plans for 'Albert Street', which would become known as Coronation Street, to fruition as he died suddenly from a heart attack three weeks before the grand opening in 1902.
In Swinton's absence, Rosa inherited his entire wealth and saw his plans for Coronation Street to completion with the help of local warehouse owner Charles Hardcastle.