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.
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.
Your tour ticket entitles you to a 10% discount on future admission to Bow Street Police Museum, 10% off in the Royal Opera House Café. Simply present your ticket at the checkout.
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.
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’ll discover on this tour include the tale of the infamous Charles Macklin, who used his acting skills to literally 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.
Hear these stories and more on this co-production tour between Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice and the Royal Opera House.
Please note: This tour does not enter the Royal Opera House or the Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice. The tour takes place outside in Covent Garden in all weathers. The meeting point for this tour is outside the Bow Street entrance of the Royal Opera House
Accessibility information
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.
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation, a charitable company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales (Company number 480523) Charity Registered (Number 211775)