Royal Opera House London

The Royal Opera House London is home to Royal Opera and Royal Ballet, uniting two world-class companies under one roof. It is an exciting mix of old and new, with an auditorium, façade and foyer dating from 1856, alongside extensive modern additions from the 1990s.

The current opera house is the third theatre on the site. Earlier Theatre Royals opened in 1732 and 1809, but both were destroyed by fire. The third building, opened in 1856, was designed in neo-classical style by Edward Barry. His grand auditorium survives today, but many public areas were transformed during a £213 million reconstruction in the 1990s. The redevelopment added a studio theatre, rehearsal spaces, and linked the historic Floral Hall (Paul Hamlyn Hall) to the main building as a public meeting space.

Opera has had a permanent home here since 1858, when the Royal English Opera Company moved from Drury Lane, although the building was not officially called the Royal Opera House until 1892. During both World Wars it was used for non-theatrical purposes, including as a government furniture repository and dance hall. In 1946, the Covent Garden Opera Trust was founded to preserve its role as an international centre for dance and opera. Today, the venue hosts a diverse, year-round opera season and welcomes The Nutcracker every Christmas.

In 2024, the resident companies rebranded as the Royal Ballet and Opera, but the building is still known as the Royal Opera House.