Englands

A NEW theatre is coming to the UK and it is set to be the largest in England.

Given the green light for London, a new 3,000-seat theatre is set to be built in Greenwich.

The theatre will be on the eastern side of Greenwich Peninsula and will be split into two auditoriums, each with 1,500 seats.

Once complete, the Troubadour Theatre will overtake the London Coliseum with 2,359 seats, as the biggest theatre in the capital, as well as England.

It won’t quite be the biggest in the UK though, as that title will remain with the Edinburgh Playhouse, which has 3,059 seats.

Construction on the new theatre is expected to start this June and take nine months to complete.

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The Troubadour already operates two other theatres in London – one in Wembley Park and the other in Canary Wharf, which opened in October last year and is currently home to The Hunger Games: On Stage.

At Troubadour Wembley Park, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express is currently playing.

The Greenwich theatre wouldn’t be permanent though, as planning permission has only been granted for a decade, after which the land would be used for tower blocks of flats.

These plans form part of the Greenwich Peninsula Masterplan, which will make the area “an expression of the world’s boldest architects”.

The development will span across 195 acres and create 17,500 homes.

There will also be 47 acres of open public space which will include a creative hub.

New shops and office spaces will open too, with a focus on the creative industries.

A large part of this will be a new Design District.

And there will be The Tide – a mile long park for pedestrians and cyclists with access to the riverfront.

The whole development is then set for completion in 2043.

There have been a number of new openings in the area recently as well including The Dial – a three-floor microbrewery.

On the lower floor, visitors will find a tap room home to brewing facilities.

The first floor is then focused on live sports screenings and the top floor is where visitors will find a rooftop bar with a terrace.

In May last year, The Telegraph revealed how Greenwich had become one of London’s “loveliest spots”.

The publication said: “Greenwich’s riverside pubs, bustling market and impressive museums make it the ideal place for a weekend escape (even if you live in London).”

One of the main attractions of Greenwich is its sprawling green park – which if you climb to the top of, you will find the spot where the Prime Meridian line splits the globe in two.

Here you can explore a museum as well as head inside a planetarium.

For a bite to eat, head to Greenwich Market Food Court to pick up some street food.

It is open daily and features a range of cuisines including Indian, Sicilian and Ethiopian.

Near the riverfront, you will also find a ship seemingly suspended in mid air.

The Cutty Sark used to carry tea from China to London, with the first voyage taking place in 1870.

Known as a clipper – which is a fast, three-masted sailing vessel – the ship spent eight years in the tea trade.

Visitors can explore the ship, with tickets costing £22 per adult and £11 per child.

In other theatre news, here are all the best theatre shows for kids coming to the UK in 2026 – from Dogman to Spongebob and Great Showman.

Plus, here’s how to get cheap theatre tickets in London for top West End shows.

HAMNET, the new Shakespearean film starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal is thrusting this lesser-known UK county into the spotlight.

Herefordshire stood in for Stratford-upon-Avon in the new film and it’s predicted that people will soon be visiting its pretty villages over that of its popular neighbour.

The Independent called Herefordshire the ‘quiet corner of England’ and explained that the county hoping for more tourists with what they’re calling the ‘Hamnet effect’.

In 2024, cast and crew descended on a small Herefordshire village to transform it into looking like Shakespeare’s Stratford.

The hope is that the county will become popular like its neighbour – the Cotswolds which is just 25 miles down the road.

As we all know the Cotswolds is known for its charming villages with cottages built from limestone brick that sit along cobbled streets around winding rivers.

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Well, you can still get such charm in Herefordshire, and it sees much fewer visitors – around six million each year compared to the Cotswolds’ 25million.

One of Herefordshire’s villages that appeared heavily in Hamnet was Weobley, which is nicknamed a ‘black and white’ village thanks to its many half-timbered houses.

The Hollywood production transformed the village into one from the 1500s, which was done fairly easily thanks to its old buildings.

While you won’t find many shops in Weobley, there are a few places to have a bite to eat like The Green Beach Cafe, or the local Indian restaurant, Lal Bagh which has a Tripadvisor Travellers‘ Choice Award and 375 five-star reviews.

Weobley also has two pubs, Ye Old Salutation Inn and The New Unicorn Inn.

But fans of Hamnet should head into The Wobbly Badger cafe which took centre stage for the exterior of Shakespeare’s family home in the film.

There are lots of other villages that are part of Herefordshire’s ‘black and white villages’ – and there’s even a dedicated tour route to see them.

One of the other villages in the trail is Pembridge, or Eardisland, which sits on the banks of the River Arrow – and looks similar to Bourton-on-the-Water.

Even smaller villages include Eardisley, Dilswyn, Leominster and Kingsland.

It’s not just Hamnet that was filmed in Herefordshire, as one very famous Netflix series also made its home there.

Sex Education starring Asa Butterfield and Gillian Anderson was filmed in Symonds Yat East, which sits in the counties of Herefordshire.

The recognisable red and white chalet where Otis and Jean live sits high above the River Wye.

It’s the UK’s fifth longest river and has an incredible backdrop of rolling green hills – and getting onto the water is one of the best ways to see it.

There are plenty of companies offering kayaking, canoeing or stand up paddleboard sessions for around £60 per person along the river.

Herefordshire is also well regarded for its cider production thanks to its acres of orchards that cover the countryside – it’s been made there since the 17th century.

Scattered around the county are orchards and breweries that you’re welcome to pop into.

VisitHerefordshire even has ‘Cider Circuits’ with dedicated cycling loops to see as many as possible.

If you head to Westons Cider Mill in Ledbury, you can sample the latest flavours – tours of the cider mill cost just £15 for adults.

If you go there with the family, there’s an outdoor play park with slides and tyre trails to entertain the kids.

If you need a place to stay, Gwatkin even has its own campsite with pitches from £9pppn.

Just outside Lyonshall village is the White Heron Estate where they make their own signature blackberry liqueur – British Cassis and British Framboise.

Taking a walking tour and tasting is £25pp (for groups of 10+).

For more on British villages, check out this destination with toy-town cottages, car-free roads and cosy pubs.

And for another Cotswolds alternative, this one is under one hour from London and is set to be a world-famous destination.