Ena Sharples is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Violet Carson. She appeared in the first episode, broadcast on 9 December 1960, and stayed with the show until 2 April 1980.

Ena Sharples was the matronly widowed caretaker of the Glad Tidings Mission Hall. A retired pensioner, she spent much of her time criticising the activities and loose morals of the street's other residents. One of the main characters during the 1960s, she was featured less regularly in the 1970s due to the declining health of actress Violet Carson and was written out in 1980. Almost always wearing a double-breasted overcoat and hairnet, she spent much of her free time in the serial's early years with her two cronies, Martha Longhurst (Lynne Carol) and Minnie Caldwell (Margot Bryant), in the snug bar of local pub The Rovers Return Inn, drinking milk stout. Ena particularly criticised Elsie Tanner (Pat Phoenix), who she believed had loose morals. In turn, Elsie strongly disliked Ena for her seemingly incessant gossip and desire to know about the private lives of others, and the two confronted each other frequently.

The final episode featuring Ena was broadcast on 2 April 1980. It attracted little media or public attention, as the producers intended for her to continue in the serial and the character was merely going to stay with a friend, Henry Foster, in St Annes while her flat in Coronation Street was being renovated. However, all subsequent storylines involving Ena had to be scrapped owing to Carson developing symptoms of pernicious anemia and becoming too ill to appear.

Carson died on Boxing Day 1983 at the age of 85. No further mention of Ena was made, and it was assumed she had moved to St Annes permanently. The first reference to her after this was in the 1985 spin-off video The Jubilee Years when Ken Barlow revealed that Ena died "a couple of years ago", placing her death around the same time as that of Carson's. The first mention of Ena's alleged death in the show itself was on 27 November 1989, during a scene in the Rovers Return when Deirdre says to builder Maurice Jones: "Ena Sharples would be turning in her grave."

In 2010, a short online video titled Ken: A Life on the Street stated that she was no longer alive when Ken Barlow (William Roache) told his grandson Simon (Alex Bain) that she was "long dead now". This is available as an extra on the Tram Crash DVD, released in 2011. It's unknown whether this extra is considered officially canon within the show's main continuity.

Ena Schofield was born in Weatherfield on 24 November 1899. She had two elder siblings, Alice Raynold (née Schofield) (1885–1965) and Tom Schofield (d. 1973). During her school days Ena met Martha Hartley (Lynne Carol) and Minnie Carlton (Margot Bryant), establishing lifelong friendships. An attentive student with a strong Christian upbringing, Ena became devoted to her religion and developed a firm belief in the importance of rules, regulations and morals. She also quickly learned to be self-sufficient, taking on factory work when she was only eleven.

In 1915, Ena became engaged to Phil Moss, nephew of Gladys Arkwright, her mentor at the Glad Tidings Mission Hall. However, he enlisted for military service in the Great War and was killed in battle, devastating Ena. In 1914, Ena had become friends with Albert Tatlock after Dinky Low, a local boy Ena had a crush on, asked her to write to Albert. Ena and Albert became close enough that he would stay with her family while on leave but, when he asked her if she wanted to be more than friends, she declined, stating that she was still mourning Phil. Around 1917, Ena met Alfred Sharples, who had been sent home because of a leg injury. There was an instant chemistry, but Ena was upset to learn he was already married, and broke contact with him. When the war ended Alfred and Ena met up again and he told her that his marriage had been in name only – he'd had to marry the daughter of someone his father had owed money to. Alfred also informed Ena that his wife had recently died, so Ena decided to give him another chance. Ena married Alfred in 1920 and they had three children: Vera, Madge and Ian. Ian died after only two days and Alfred died in 1937 during the Depression, leaving Ena a widow with two children. As Vera and Madge grew up Ena alienated them through her judgemental and frequently interfering nature – a point of much contention for Ena. Madge and her mother became almost completely estranged after Madge emigrated in 1950.

In 1960, Ena was in conflict with the Mission's new lay preacher Leonard Swindley (Arthur Lowe), who objected to her frequenting the Rovers. Ena collapsed due to the stress but walked out of hospital to return to her post so that Martha Longhurst (Lynne Carol), who had taken on her responsibilities while she recovered, could not steal her job. In 1961, Ena was sacked for spreading a rumour that Coronation Street was being demolished, which turned out to be untrue. Swindley was forced to rehire her when a suitable replacement could not be found (Ena had bribed the other candidates to turn the job down). Still unhappy with the working conditions, however, Ena walked out of the job later in the year and moved in with Minnie Caldwell (Margot Bryant), with Albert Tatlock (Jack Howarth) briefly taking on the caretaker position. She was eventually offered her job back.