So forceful was Matcham's vision of the Coliseum that it even charmed the ascetic architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner (a modernist with a slightly paradoxical love of Victorian excess) who declared it "just what a palace of entertainment should be". But that wasn't enough to restore Matcham's reputation - a reputation that was once so high that his theatres were advertised on the basis of their spectacular architecture, with the acts on stage seemingly incidental.

But here's a funny thing. These days the Coliseum is not a variety theatre. Since 1968 it has been home to what is now English National Opera. It was due to reopen not with some easy-listening piece but with the challenging Nixon in China (later cancelled and changed to Wagner as the rebuilding work dragged on). Matcham has gone high culture. And with opera, your surroundings have always been as important a part of the experience as what happens on stage. Garnier's 1875 Paris Opera with its mirrored saloons is all about promenading, the audience seeing and being seen. The Coliseum on its much tighter site off Trafalgar Square aimed to provide something of that experience for - not so much the lower orders, since Matcham's client, the impresario Sir Oswald Stoll, had raised his sights considerably by then - but for broad family entertainment. Instead of booze and fags outlets, it had tea rooms. It was intended to stage four shows a day. That didn't last, but the point is that Matcham provided a convincing illusion of space and grandeur, along with a huge auditorium, that has proved to be perfect for opera audiences.