London’s oldest theatre was built by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1705 and was associated with opera until it burned down in 1798, appropriately enough since it is now the home of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s long running smash Phantom of the Opera.

In the intervening years Her Majesty’s has been bombed or burnt or torn down three times but the current incarnation is massive, ornate and comfortable, with seats for over 1200 Opera fans.