Stages and Cells of Covent Garden
Stages and Cells of Covent Garden
Stages and Cells of Covent Garden
Join Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice and the Royal Opera House on this outdoor walking tour to discover the relationship between theatre and crime in Covent Garden.
Join Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice and the Royal Opera House on this outdoor walking tour to discover the relationship between theatre and crime in Covent Garden.
Join Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice and the Royal Opera House on this outdoor walking tour to discover the relationship between theatre and crime in Covent Garden.
If you have any access requirements for your tour, please contact boxoffice.access@roh.org.uk after booking so we can deliver the necessary arrangements.
Looking to have this tour all to your yourself as private experience for you and your group? Or perhaps you need this tour run in a different language? We can offer bespoke private tours. Send your requirements to tours@roh.org.uk.
10% discount on purchases made in the Royal Ballet and Opera Shop and Café. Valid on the day of your tour by showing your ticket at the till. After your tour, you will receive an email providing a 33% discount on annual subscriptions to RBO Stream.
Your ticket also includes free entry to the Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice, valid on the same day as your tour.
Discover more tours, how to get to the tour venues and in-depth accessibility information.
Background
Join our walking tour through the historic streets of Covent Garden and uncover the stories of crime and theatre that made the area what it is today.
In the 17th century, Bow Street was a quiet, residential area for the well-to-do. However, the arrival of the theatres ushered in a new era of bustling crowds, pickpockets, highwaymen, murderers, sex workers, gin palaces and unbridled decadence, leading to the necessity of London’s first police force – the notorious Bow Street Runners.
Some of the stories you will discover on this tour include the tale of the infamous Charles Macklin, who used his acting skills to get away with murder, and the bizarre instance when Bow Street Police Officers tried to blend in with the chorus on the Royal Opera House stage to foil a diamond heist.
As part of the experience, you will also see the Royal Opera House’s iconic stage and visit an original Bow Street police cell, bringing you face-to-face with the spaces where history was performed, policed and imprisoned.
Hear these stories and more on this co-produced tour between Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice and the Royal Opera House.
Important information about your tour
- The meeting point for this tour is the Ground Floor cloakroom of the Royal Opera House. You will have access to the complimentary cloakroom and visitor facilities ahead of your tour.
- This experience is predominantly an outdoor walking tour through Covent Garden and operates in all weathers.
- Your ticket includes free entry to the Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice, valid on the day of your tour.
- Latecomers will not be admitted.
- Children aged 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Children under the age of five are not allowed on our tours, this includes babies and children in pushchairs.
- Contact-free bag checks will be in operation when you enter the building.
Access
This is an outdoor walking tour.
Please note that there will be no access to public toilets once the tour begins, and there are no seating options available along the route. The tour follows a designated path around the Covent Garden area, passing along public pavements, through road crossings, and into some pedestrianised spaces.
We aim to avoid steps and large curbs, however due to the ever-changing nature of London’s streets we cannot guarantee that the route will always remain entirely step-free.
Be the first to know
Sign up to hear the latest Royal Ballet and Opera news, receive ticket alerts, and discover how to support us.
Sign up to hear the latest Royal Ballet and Opera news, receive ticket alerts, and discover how to support us.