disabled toilets in various locations, including next to the main entrance and by the 013 Royal Opera House Amphitheatre bar. All operas come with surtitles, and some performances have BSL interpretation. In addition, there are special headphones available to amplify the sound, Address: Covent Garden, WC2E 9DD Web: www.roh.org.uk Tel: switchboard: 020 7240 and an induction collar to be used with hearing aids. It’s worth noting that the ROH L 1200, box o"ce: 020 7304 4000 Hours: box o"ce Mon–Sat 10am–8pm, Sun 2–4 hours before o$ers a free Access Membership Scheme (allow three weeks for registration), which L ONDON ONDON performances; ROH Collections open Mon–Fri 10am–3.30pm (performance ticket holders only) Dates: includes several bene!ts including discounted tickets, priority booking, personalised closed 25 Dec & Easter Sunday Entry: varies by performance and seat [D]25% discount when registered assistance and same-day telephone booking. to ROH’s free Access Membership Scheme [C]free if accompanying disabled scheme member [0–18s] ĪĪ at selected “family” performances 2 children go free with paying adult, otherwise same rate as adults FOOD & DRINK "ere are several well-appointed on-site bars and restaurants. !e Paul [Con]half-price standby tickets, subject to availability (see website for details); see below for tour prices Hamlyn Hall Balconies Restaurant o$ers an especially memorable setting, overlooking the Floral Hall – with prices to match, of course (two courses for £42.50; three courses £49.50).

Commanding a prime spot in London’s picturesque Covent Garden, the Royal Opera House 014 is the capital’s premier opera venue and the home of the Royal Ballet and Royal Opera. Address: 20 Deans Yard, London SW1P 3PA Web: www.westminster-abbey.org Tel: 020 7222 5152; "e current building – with its stately neoclassical facade and spectacular glass-and- tour bookings and volunteering 020 7654 4871 Hours: Mon–Tue & Thu–Fri 9.30am–4.30pm; Wed iron Floral Hall – was constructed in 1858 a#er its two predecessors were destroyed by 9.30am–7pm; Sat 9.30am–2pm (last admission one hour before closing) Dates: open for worship only !re. A recent £178 million renovation has brought the site and its facilities thoroughly up on Sun & religious holidays Entry: tours: [D]free [C]free for carer of wheelchair user [A]£16 [11–18s]£6 to date, improving accessibility throughout. If you can’t stretch to a performance ticket, [Con]£13 [Fam]£32–38; verger tours £3 extra per person you can visit the sumptuous auditorium on a Velvet, Gilt and Glamour Tour (45min; £8) or take a longer Backstage Tour (1hr 15min; £10.50), in which you may be lucky enough to catch rehearsals. Failing that, between 10.30am and 3.30pm anyone can wander in and admire the Floral Hall and “front of house” areas, where changing exhibitions showcase Westminster Abbey, the Collegiate Church of St Peter, is one of the greatest examples performance memorabilia such as costumes, furniture and directors’ notes. of ecclesiastical architecture in the world. "is shrine to the great and the good, where "e ROH has three wheelchair accessible entrances: one on Covent Garden Piazza Britain’s rulers have been crowned and buried, was !rmly back in the international and two on Bow Street. "ere’s no car park, but there are seven Blue Badge spaces on spotlight in 2011 as the venue for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Bow Street, and a drop-o$ point near the main entrance. Inside, the ticket desks are Founded by in 1065, the abbey has been the venue for all mostly a good height for wheelchair users, and there’s li# access to every level of the coronations since the time of William the Conqueror. You can see the Coronation Chair, building except the Orchestra Stalls in the main auditorium. "ere are a number of right next to another big draw: the tomb of Henry V. Indeed, a tour of the abbey is a great opportunity to learn about the unique pageant of British history. Statesmen and men of science are interred and honoured by monuments – you’ll spot the 1965 memorial to Sir Winston Churchill. Geo$rey Chaucer, the !rst literary !gure to be buried at the abbey in Poets’ Corner, famously rests in the company of Tennyson, Browning and Dickens. In the Westminster Abbey Museum, there is a compelling display of royal e'gies that were used instead of corpses for lying-in-state ceremonies. Once the history lesson is over, younger visitors might want to let o$ steam outdoors in the College Garden; situated just o$ the cloisters, this is the oldest garden in . With its busy central London location, overlooking Parliament Square, it is not surprising that the abbey doesn’t have parking spaces. But it is possible for you to arrive by car – a drop-o$ point for Blue Badge holders can be requested in advance. Wheelchair users should enter via the North Door: the marshals are very approachable and will facilitate access to tricky areas via alternative routes wherever possible. "e Henry VII Chapel has to be reached by a steep %ight of stairs, but a stair climber is available and can be used with a powered scooter. If you are unable to access this chapel at all, it is possible to watch a video showing views of the interior. Portable audio guides are free and are available in a range of languages. Transcripts are available for deaf visitors and a touch tour can be arranged for visually impaired visitors, with accompanying material Royal Opera House in large print or Braille. "e services of a volunteer guide can be booked in advance. 26 27