the royal highland hotel
Consideredtobe twoofthe most luxurious
appointmentsontheship,theGrandStaircaseswere
designedtobe usedonlybyfirst-classpassengers.
The fore GrandStaircase descendedfive levelsdown
fromthe Boat Decktothe D-Deckinthe famous
appearance andcontinueddowntoE-Deckasan
ordinarystairway. The staircase featuredalarge glass
domethatallowednaturallighttoenterthespace
duringthe daytime, oakpanellinganddetailed
carvings, paintings, candelabras, andother details.
The fore staircase featuredaclocksurroundedbyan
intricate oakcarvingdepicting“Honour andGlory
CrowningTime,” while the aft staircase featuredafar
lessornateclock.
Therearenoreliablesourcesthatdescribewhat
occurredonthe fore GrandStaircase duringthe
ship’ssinking. The aft grandstaircase wastorn apart
asthe Titanic broke up, andmuch ofthe woodand
other debrisfoundfloatingafter the sinkingis
thought tohave come fromthe aft staircase.
PhotographstakenbyexplorerBobBallardshow
thatthesteelinfrastructureandevensomeofthe
detail onthe balustradesofthe staircase canstill be
discerned. Some ofthe light fittingsare still exactlyas
theywerein1912,butthewoodhasprobablybeen
eatenawaybymicrobes. The staircase isoftenused
bysubmersiblesasanentrypoint intothe sunken
wreckasit isnow ahuge hole, providingeasyaccess
totheship’sinterior.
Olympic Grand Staircase.
There are several Titanic museumsthat have
detailedreplicasofthe grandstaircase. One is
featuredinOrlando, Florida, andanother at the
Titanic MuseuminBranson, Missouri. Built usingthe
ship’soriginal deckplans, it isanelaborate and
painstakinglycraftedreplicaoftheoriginalstructure.
The mainstaircase ofthe White SwanHotel in
Alnwick, England, hasbanistersfromthe Olympic's
GrandStaircase,fromwhenherfittingswere
auctionedoffimmediatelybefore she wasscrapped
inthe 1930s. The hotel’sdiningroomisalsolined
withthepanellingfromthefirstclassloungeandthe
short sectionofstairsleadingtothe DiningRoom.
The rest ofher fittingsfoundhomesinscattered
placesthroughoutGreatBritain. a73
the north magazine 15
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