The Royal Opera House stands on ground with a theatrical pedigree stretching back centuries. This is where Samuel Pepys watched England's first Punch and Judy show in 1662, scribbling in his diary that the puppet performance was 'very pretty.'

The current building, completed in 1858, is actually the third theatre on this site: its predecessors both burned down, the second taking most of the scenery, costumes and musical archives with it.

Today, the house is home to both the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet, its neoclassical portico presiding over the piazza that Inigo Jones designed as London's first public square. The interior underwent a major renovation in the 1990s, opening up a glass-roofed foyer where you can sip coffee and watch dancers warm up.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours trace the area's transformation from London's fruit and vegetable market to its theatrical and cultural heart, following the performers, impresarios and street entertainers who shaped Covent Garden.