First Class on R.M.S. Mauretania"... But apart from the question of speed, the 'Mauretania' will remain one of the most striking examples of a happy combination of perfection in naval architecture [...] and of the art of the decorator working with a free hand in design and expenditure." R.M.S. Mauretania, the great transatlantic greyhound of the Cunard Line, retaining the Blue Ribband on both the Eastbound and Westbound runs for 20 years. Combined with her striking yacht-like appearance and the elegance of her Edwardian interiors, she provided her often passengers with a sense of stability, comfort, and sound engineering throughout the 1920s.
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The paneling is relieved by carved capitals and pilasters, in which repetition of design has been avoided, and the prevailing impression is one of soft and heavy richness, relieved by the pleasing silvery tone of the aluminium " grille" or railing around the elevators. "The Shipbuilder" magazine; 1907
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Further aft of the Lounge & Music room, connected by two small vestibules at either side of the fourth funnel casing, was the Smoking Room for First Class passengers. Extending over an area of approximately two-thousand-five-hundred square feet, the space was divided into two sections by a jubé-style panelled screen. This arrangement was designed to cleverly disguise the numerous ventilator shafts but it also gave the space a unique charm. The sides of the room were divided into eight recesses. The first two were located in the smaller forward section and fitted with writing desks, provided secluded spaces to compose letters. In the large aft section, the recesses were designed as intimate seating areas fitted with card tables and large divan couches. The room was given an impressive feeling of space by its vast wagon-headed ceiling which was constructed from glass panels built into a wooden frame painted in white enamel. Together with a further fourteen large medieval style arched window, this ensured a generous supply of natural daylight to every corner of the room.
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One of the many delightful innovations [...] here passengers may sit and sip their coffee in the open air, perfectly protected from the weather. Evergreens have been trailed across the glazed roof, giving the passenger an impression of shore comforts. "The Shipbuilder" magazine; 1907 |
Spanning across C-deck and D-deck, the First Class Dining Saloon was easily the most impressive apartment aboard Mauretania. The room was divided into an upper and a lower dining space with a vast octagonal well running through the centre. The decor of the Dining Saloon was completed in the French Renaissance style dating from the reign of Francis I. Both sections were panelled in light weathered oak with no panel being an exact duplicate of its neighbour. The lower deck was carved in a more ornate design consisting of arched panels richly decorated with classical motifs. This was balanced by a simpler treatment on the upper deck. Large arched panels and mirrors divided the space neatly into more intimate sections whilst the central opening was completed with an elegant arched balustrade. The crowning feature of the room was the vast plasterwork dome which extended upwards to B-deck, thus creating a three-deck high apartment. Painted in white and gold, its design consisted of interlacing groins linked by plagues depicting signs of the Zodiac. The dome was also cleverly illuminated by concealed lighting. This created a soft glow which bounced from the light tones of the plasterwork and radiated warmly across the room below.
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Specially pleasing in general effect is the dining-room, with its panelling and pillars in natural creamy oak, its upper gallery and its great central dome with a gilded boss to represent the sun, and a scheme of decoration which displays the signs of the Zodiac around the base.
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