Opera house · England · Restored

Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London, and the principal home of the Royal Opera, the Royal Ballet and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. The present building is the third on the site; its façade, foyer and main auditorium date from 1858. The house contains a large auditorium with multiple tiers of boxes and an amphitheatre gallery and remains an active performance venue.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1732

Its prime

1858

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1858

The shape it held in its prime.

A mid-19th-century neoclassical theatre façade in pale cream ashlar: a six-column Corinthian portico supporting a deep entablature and triangular pediment, carved frieze panels and shallow statue niches in the wall, tall arched windows set behind the colonnade, a stone balustrade above a raised ground floor, and a multi-storey block rising behind the pediment. The front faces an open paved piazza and reads as a formal, symmetrical urban elevation in sound condition.

Step inside

8 places to explore in 1858.

The record describes 8 distinct spots at Royal Opera House — including 4 interiors: grand foyer beneath the portico, main auditorium — stalls view facing the stage, view from a private box and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more of the immersive experience.

Piazza approach under the porticoUnder the portico at street levelPediment, frieze and upper façadeEntrance balcony and arched glazingGrand foyer beneath the porticoMain auditorium — stalls view facing the stageView from a private boxAmphitheatre gallery (top tier)

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