The first theatre on the site was built in 1732 and the current building is the third.
Its facade dates from 1858.
Opposite the Opera House, stood the site of the first police office in London, Bow Street, which was established in 1829.
Beside it stands the old and abandoned Bow Street Magistrates Court, where famous people such as Oscar Wilde, Dr Crippen, the Kray Twins and Jeffrey Archer were tried.