Tourist Class on R.M.S. AquitaniaIf by some romantic chance you were to fall asleep and wake up aboard the Aquitania (familiarly known as the Queen of the Fleet) and travelling to Europe in her Tourist Class, you'd probably think you were in a great English mansion done in the Grand Manner. The elegance and dignity of the interiors aboard Aquitania were no less pronounced in her Second Class accommodations. These beautiful rooms were now at the disposal of the new Tourist Class. Successfully combining a sense of pre-war style with modern facilities and economical rates of passage, Aquitania understandably became well loved by this new class of passenger.
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Situated below the Lounge on B-deck, Tourist Class passengers had access to a further three generously sized public apartments. The furthest forward of these rooms was the Drawing Room, accessible directly forward of the main Entrance Hall. In a similar style to its First Class counterpart and the Tourist Class Lounge, this handsome room was decorated in the Adam style. The walls and ceiling were adorned with elaborate decorative plasterwork faithfully copied from existing examples on shore. The sections of the room were separated by tall Ionic pillars whilst the ceiling was surrounded by an ornamental frieze adorned with scrolling acanthus leaves and griffins in Neoclassical style. The central portion of the ceiling was raised higher to create a spacious middle section. This space was interrupted by the support base of the aft mast which was cleverly disguised as a large architecture feature fitted with decorative niches.
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With ordinary windows, similar to a Georgian house on shore, and tasteful antique mahogany Heppelwhite furniture, there is little in the appearance of the Second Cabin Drawing Room to suggest a room on a ship.
Ample natural light was provided by tall sash windows as well as a series of wrought-iron and glass lay-lights on the ceiling. The furniture was upholstered in flowered chintz complemented by a plush blue Wilton carpet. The Drawing Room was fitted by a large marble fireplace on the aft wall, crowned by an intricately moulded gilt overmantel. Further adding to the decorative scheme, mezzotints and engraved portraits were hung on the panelled walls, depicting noted historical figures such as David Garrick, William Penn, and Jeanne Poisson; Madame de Pompadour .
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Tourist Class Statements were located across C-deck, E-deck, and F-deck and arranged to accommodate between one and four passengers. These formerly Second Class accommodations provided bright, comfortable, and economical passage for the new Tourist Class passengers. All staterooms were fitted with spacious wooden berths or neatly folded Pullman bunks. The furniture was build from dark woods including large vanity mirrors and bedside tables. Wicker armchairs were also added to add a more modern effect. All rooms were fitted with washstands with fresh running water, electric heaters, modern ventilation systems, bedside lighting, and steward call buzzers. During the 1932-33 refit, further improvements were made to these rooms to freshen their appearance for the modern Tourist traveller. The staterooms were repainted in white or cream to enhance their bright appearance and enhanced by the addition of new floral rugs and upholstery. Fresh flowers and linens were supplied daily.
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A Theatre & Concert Hall was a newly fitted feature for Tourist Class passengers, added during Aquitania's extensive refit of 1932-33. This room occupied space which had once formed the middle section of the Second Class Dining Saloon. Around the top of the room was the remains of what had formerly been an open-well looking down from C-deck into the Dining Saloon below. Although its elegant Adams style balustrade remained as a decorative feature, walls were fitted to enclose the open well to make the space suitable for its new use. Passengers entered the Hall either down a sweeping staircase from C-deck or through doors communicating with the adjoining Dining Saloon. The room was fitted with a three-hundred square foot stage and cinema screen at the aft end. Removable folding armchairs allowed the space to be arranged for a variety of functions. Additional new features for this class of travel included a new shop and information kiosk on D-deck and an enlarged Barber Shop on C-deck. Tourist Class passengers were also given access to the First Class Swimming Pool at fixed times of the day.
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