London Coliseum

London Coliseum on St Martin's Lane is the largest theatre in the West End and the home of English National Opera. It first opened on Christmas Eve 1904, the realisation of Oswald Stoll's dream of building the biggest theatre in London: having acquired an acre of land on the edge of Trafalgar Square, he hired the theatre architect Frank Matcham to design a grand variety house of extraordinary ambition, with a vast domed auditorium and a revolving stage that was a marvel of its day.

The Coliseum began life as a place of spectacle and music hall, complete with a rooftop globe, and through the twentieth century it served as a variety theatre, a cinema and a musical house before becoming the permanent home of English National Opera, the company that stages opera sung in English. London Coliseum Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of ENO and its profits support the company's work. A careful restoration completed in 2004, for the centenary, returned the auditorium and public rooms to their original Matcham splendour while modernising the stage behind them.

London Coliseum St Martin's Lane: seating and bars

There are four seating levels to choose from, and a bar on each of them serving hot and cold drinks and snacks, with the Balcony bar and the Sky bar among the higher vantage points. All bars open seventy-five minutes before the performance. Many original details survive, including a bust of Stoll's mother, Adelaide; tradition holds that a pound donated and three turns in front of her will guarantee a lifetime of great theatre.

What to expect on a visit

Alongside ENO's opera seasons the Coliseum hosts English National Ballet, including Nutcracker each winter, as well as concerts and large-scale musicals. The box office team is on live chat Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm and the counter is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Charing Cross, Leicester Square and Embankment stations are a short walk away, and the Noel Coward Theatre is a few doors up the lane. More theatres in Covent Garden are listed here.