Pinewood With Peter (Seeking out MAURETANIA in Movieland)
Peter Knego joins liner historian, author and cruise journalist Peter Newall on a tour of London’s Pinewood Studios in search of the remains of the legendary, 1907-built ocean liner MAURETANIA.
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All photos by and copyright Peter Knego 2013 unless otherwise noted.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Following my last venture in Greece, I had an overnight at London’s Heathrow Airport before my flight back to California. In lieu of a spending an afternoon holed up in a dingy hotel, I had plans to rendezvous with Peter Newall, the Dorset-based author and historian who has penned a growing list of “must have” books on ocean liners, including: “Union-Castle Line: A Fleet History”, “Orient Line: A Fleet History” and his latest, “Cunard Line: A Fleet History”.
Initially, our agenda was nebulous. We would find something of maritime interest in London and then hopefully capture Mr. Newall on video for an upcoming Alang DVD project about the RMS WINDSOR CASTLE. But while I awaited Peter’s arrival, the following e-mail chimed through: “As I want to take you for a surprise visit, I shall pick you up from the hotel at 13:45. P.S. Bring your camera!” At precisely 13:46, his American sedan pulled into the car port and took us speeding into the verdant countryside, past farms and quaint manors. And then, at a traffic stop, a van with “Pinewood” on its flanks approached like a four wheeled epiphany.
In Peter’s brilliant 2006 tome on the MAURETANIA, “Mauretania, Triumph and Resurrection”, he not only details the Cunarder’s storied birth and career but also carefully recaps her demise and, through some impressive maritime detective work, her “resurrection” in various U.K. enclaves.
In a nutshell, Cunard Line’s turbine-driven MAURETANIA, completed in 1907 on the Tyne at Swan, Hunter, Wigham and Richardson, was, along with her near sister, the John Brown-built LUSITANIA, the largest, most wondrous ship in the world at the time of her delivery. Her Harold Peto-designed First Class public rooms were palatial and boasted craftsmanship and materials that could never be replicated today. The pair of four funneled Edwardian liners both captured the Blue Riband for speediest transatlantic crossings but unlike the LUSITANIA, which met a tragic end via German U-Boat torpedoes off Ireland’s Old Head Of Kinsale in 1915, the MAURETANIA went on to a long and successful career. In 1929, MAURETANIA’s speed record was finally bettered by the German express liner BREMEN and by 1934, after struggling for survival in the Depression years, she finally reached the end of her life. As her steel shell was cut up and melted down for scrap in 1935/6 at Rosyth, Scotland, her sumptuous Edwardian fittings were auctioned off in Southampton. Portions of her First Class Lounge, Dining Room, Library and Smoking Room, including woodwork, doors, marble and glass, went to a gentleman names Charles Boot.
Boot had just founded Pinewood Studios along with filmmaker Joseph Arthur Rank and installed some of these treasures in its newly built Administration Hall. Other fittings were incorporated into the adjacent Club Hall, formerly Heatherden Hall, a 19th Century estate with tennis and squash courts, indoor pool, ornamental lake and gardens.
Within moments, we had reached the original gates to Pinewood.
A bit further down, at the official entry, which resembles something from a Philip K. Dick sci-fi novel, we turned in. Visitors’ passes were waiting and right away, a lovely lady named Ann Runeckles came to greet us.
Ann has been working on the Pinewood grounds for some thirty plus years, having started as a production assistant at a film guarantor company before becoming a PA for Pinewood’s managing director. Since 2000, she has served as a liaison officer and now works in Group Corporate Responsibility. This elegant lady relishes the history of the studio and its components and generously took time on her day off to show us the MAURETANIA bits.
Our first stop was the entrance to the Club House, formerly Heatherden Hall. Both pairs of MAURETANIA’s walnut and sycamore First Class Smoke Room doors have been its busy portals for over 70 years.
For over a century, minus the year or so that the doors were taken off the ship and not yet installed at Pinewood, their solid, Swan Hunter-built brass hinges have been in constant use.
Even more surprising was that the well-worn brass door handles are still functional.
Before moving on, we took a look at the hand-carved detailing in the miniature walnut pilasters near the top of the doors. All the while, Pinewood employees passed through on their daily business, wondering what these visitors were making such a fuss over!
“Would you like to see the lot?”, Ann offered, knowing fully what our response would be. We hopped into a golf cart, cameras stowed (studio regulations) and savored in awe, passing through sound stages and warehouses where the technicians invariably waved to our host. Most of the Bond films, Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut”, Kenneth Branagh’s “Cinderella”, the “Pirates Of The Caribbean” franchise and many more, too numerous to list, had been or were being shot here. One especially impressive sight was the giant tank backed with a huge blue screen where a number of high seas sequences were filmed.
We resumed our “MAURETANIA hunt” at the Administration Block’s main entrance, where a pair of her oak doors from the upper level of the First Class Dining Room are framed by an equally magnificent Elizabethan oak carving dating from 1561.
The hand-carved miniature pilasters in the oak doors have their own unique, talon-like styling.
Directly inside, another pair of doors from MAURETANIA’s First Class Library access the gardens.
The brass handles, although worn, still bear Harold Peto’s distinctive Roman-inspired “X” embossing, which was found throughout the ship.
Those Library doors only teased at what lay ahead. Ann led us upstairs to the Executive Meeting Rooms, which boast the Library’s magnificent sycamore and walnut paneling.
It was astonishing to see the finery of the Library reassembled so elegantly.
I wouldn’t have known had Peter not so indicated but in some spots, portions of the paneling and hand-carved gilt-work were flawlessly replicated by studio craftsmen to complete the space.
Due to heightened security and the fact that this is still a very much functioning space, I felt especially privileged to be able to see these things firsthand.
One of the ship’s mirrors, beveled glass and all, was mounted between two windows as though it had been purposely built for the space.
And, overhead, the cut crystal chandeliers from the Library still illuminate its stained sycamore woodwork.
I took one final photo, then hurriedly joined Peter and Ann in the neighboring, slightly smaller boardroom.
In there, according to studio legend, Dorothy Lamour danced atop the table in what must have been quite a meeting! In the corner, hangs a portrait of noted Pinewood co-founder, Sir Arthur Rank.
The detailing is just as elegant as that of the neighboring room.
We pressed onward to a long gallery connecting the upper level of the Executive Offices with the Club House (AKA Heatherden Hall). Soaring overhead were portions of the MAURETANIA’s Smoking Room ceiling, now reconfigured in a long, domed arch.
And at either end, pairs of MAURETANIA’s oak doors, festooned with intricately detailed brass plating.
Overhead on either side of the arch, Frank Stuart Murray’s Smoking Room oil paintings represent opposing shores of the Atlantic: “Old Liverpool” on the administration side and “Old New York” at the Heatherden entry.
A film as well as a ship buff, I was plenty distracted by the photos on the walls of the gallery, itself. One noted Pinewood feature was “A Night To Remember”, filmed on the lot with additional footage shot aboard Royal Mail Lines ASTURIAS at the breaker’s yard. Many consider it the best of all the TITANIC films.
I was also smitten with a photo of “Hitch”, taken in 1972 on the set of his next-to-last film, “Frenzy”, about a Scotland yard investigator, equally challenged by a grisly case and the well-intended-but-less-than-ample culinary skills of his wife.
As I eyed a photo of Lauren Bacall during the 1959 shoot of “Northwest Frontier”, Peter pointed out one of fourteen stunning, lilac-veined marble pilasters from the MAURETANIA’s First Class Lounge.
The gilt capitals boast yet more of the remarkable craftsmanship on display throughout MAURETANIA’s First Class rooms.
In this image of the First Class Lounge, four pairs of the pilasters are visible in the center and to either side.
We descended the stairs on the Heatherden side to a huge banquet hall where yet more of the MAURETANIA thrives. The overall space, itself, is most impressive with its soaring ceilings and glorious paneling — not from MAURETANIA, but glorious, nonetheless.
At one end stand the large carved oak screens from the lower entry of the First Class Dining Room.
And so ended our magical day at Pinewood, a place where fantasies are made and the MAURETANIA lives on…
For “MAURETANIA, Triumph and Resurrection”, Peter Newall’s quintessential reference detailing the ship’s birth, career and demise and for a chance to hear the ship’s steam whistle (scroll down the link page), please click here.
Also, of great interest, especially to Cunard Line fans, don’t miss Peter’s newest shipping masterpiece, “Cunard Line, A Fleet History”. In this comprehensive book, the entire fleet, including the 19th Century ships, cargo liners and tenders are included, as well as the familiar Atlantic icons. Available from J and M Clarkson, 18 Franklands, Longton, Preston, PR4 SPD, UK 01772612855 or via e-mail through shipsinfocus@btinternet.com.
End Of Pinewood With Peter
Very special thanks: Martin Cox, Peter Newall, Ann Runeckles
Peter Knego
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Wow that was great to see Mauretania’s interior appointments as if they were still on the ship and in living color. Thanks for sharing Peter, hope you were not too jet lagged to enjoy it in it’s full glory.
This collection is nothing short of incredible! This almost warrants its own book, or be part of a work on furnishings and fittings that survive from the classic liners!
I believe Taunton’s College, Hill Lane, Southampton has
a large amount of Mauretania panelling.
Southampton Grammmar School for Girls (later Tauntons)had first class mahogany panels installed in 1936 but were removed in 2003 – you can read about it on page 130 of my book.
Peter (N)
A wonderful trip down memory lane with the two Peters! Thank you gentlemen for bringing our beloved, Tyne built ‘Maurey’ into such fabulous, up close and personal focus.
What a spread of magnificent woods and doors and gold and crowned and opulently gilded items, saved and cared for beautifully.
Thank you so much for that great trip into the past. Seeing this woodwork and artwork in our reality is just wonderful.
Is there a source telling you where fittings of ocean liners are still visible today?
Absolutely beautiful – What a grand lady she was. I have always been sentimental when it comes to ships because (to me anyway) in some respects they are almost human, they each have there own personality and traits as well as a list or friends who remained loyal and loved them. The Mauretania was FDR’s favorite and was so moved when he heard of her being scrapped he penned an unofficial letter on White House stationery to Cunard expressing his feelings – I admire him for that. In the 1930s passengers were insisting on swimming pools much like todays passengers are insisting on balconys – passengers requesting a balcony should be issued a harness to prevent accidents of which there have been many. Thank You Peter for sharing this gem.
this is brill for us Cunard lovers,i was very pleased to read about the old Royal Mail Liner being used in A Night to Rember,as a Titanic fan this was news to me ,i sailed for R.M.L. as a steward in the 60s another great company
Peter – I have a souvenir pocket cigarette case of lucite with gold fittings from the 2nd Mauretania (launched 1938). I will gladly ship it to you with my complements if you drop an e-mail. g.p.
Absolutely stunning. But one detail — that isn’t an X embossing on the door handle and it certainly isn’t exclusive to that designer. The door handle is meant to look like a bundle of twigs or reeds and the X is merely where the ribbon that binds them together crosses. This is a typical classical design used literally throughout the world and very much in fashion when this ship was built
Harold Peto, the designer of Mauretania’s interiors was an architect and garden designer who made great use of classical motifs. For Mauretania he used the Roman fasces motif throughout the ship i.e. bundles of sticks tied with an X ribbon.
Peter (N)
Thank you so much for this Peter! I’ve been waiting for an article like this. It’s fantastic to see the magnificence and craftsmanship of the Mauretania live on so vividly at Pinewood. I had no idea so much of her existed there.
@Graham Hueber and Peter N
To add to that, I believe that ribbon and twigs motif is common to the Louis Seize style, correct? A look at the A La Carte Restaurant on Olympic and Titanic will show the columns, and I believe the chair and table legs as well, sported that motif. May even be able to find it in the paneling in the Olympic restaurant on board Celebrity Millennium, which carries much of Olympic’s A La Carte paneling.
Fascinating. Back in 1985, I got a similar and quite impromptu tour of the “Mauretania Pub” in Bristol by then new owners who noticed me peering through the closed door. It, too, is largely decorated with panelling etc from the Cunarder and has her splendid bronze letters from her bows, too. Between what’s at Pinewood and this, there cannot have been much left of her First Class public rooms. The workmanship of all this is a marvel but of course most anything was in the Edwardian Era. I have always been astonished how little interest there is, other than TITANIC of course, in the liners of the Edwardian Era like ROTTERDAM, EDINBURGH CASTLE, ADRIATIC, CAIRO etc etc compared to say the liners of the 1930s/50s.
So pleased and glad you enjoyed your surprise.
It was good to see some of p.n’ s hard work on your site
We seem to have a plethora of Peters on here at the moment! In answer to your question Peter (Kohler), there are a lot of Mauretania’s interiors still remaining. That was the point of the book, which is in two parts. “Triumph” is the story of her design, interiors and career and “Resurrection” which is what happened to the interiors after the auction at Southampton in 1935. I had access to the annotated auction catalogue so was able to track it all down which was great fun!
Peter (N)
Peter, quite a wonderful trip, and your photos of the fine detailed wood carving are terrific. Your next assignment, if you choose to accept it, is to find the Olympic paneling aboard the Celebrity Millenium…
Awesome….just awesome.
A little easier to view are these great mementos from the SS NORMANDIE as found on Celebrity Cruises SUMMIT. I was delighted to see them during our Bermuda cruise this past May.
As one enters the vestibule that leads to the Normandie Restaurant, one of the alternate dining venues, one is greeted by original glassware, china and dining utensils from the great liner, set up and under glass, actual menu’s, which served as the typeset and look that was so distinctly French Lines, with handsome ship models of the liner gracing the walls.
Inside The Normandie Restaurant – darn spell check keeps wanting to place Y at the end, not ie –
One finds handsome paneling, probably not from the SS NORMANDIE, probably good veneer, however, it is inset with actual Lalique glass, which were aboard the SS NORMANDIE.
Moving on down to the Cosmopolitan Restaurant, the main dining venue, one is struck by the massive statue of La Normandie, which graced the original liner, here at the base of the double grand stairway, deck 6, she stands, lovely and stoic. She had been on display at the Fontainebleau in Miami, I was told she was auctioned off, and here she stands in the SUMMIT.
Thank you both Peters. I longed to get the polish out as you journeyed through the rooms, but what a pleasure to see these details.
What a great series of pictures. Oh that the interiors of more recent ships had been auctioned off in similar fashion to be saved for the ages. I printed out this series and placed them in as a supplement to my copy of Peter Newhall’s book, one of my personal favorites! Best regards to both Peters.
Thanks so much, Carl! But many more modern ships’ interiors have actually been saved. Perhaps not on the same level as MAURETANIA’s Edwardian craftsmanship, but EMPRESS OF CANADA, EMPRESS OF BRITAIN, OLYMPIA, AUGUSTUS, AUSONIA, HAMBURG, VICTORIA (both Lloyd Triestino and Incres), WINDSOR CASTLE, TAHITIEN, TRANSVAAL CASTLE, MERMOZ, AUREOL, PRINCIPE PERFEITO, IVERNIA/FRANCONIA, EUGENIO C, STELLA SOLARIS, STELLA OCEANIS, STELLA MARIS II, JASON, RENAISSANCE and more live on in parts at MidShipCentury, several galleries and in the homes of various collectors: http://www.midshipcentury.com –Peter
It is truly amazing to see such photos, the quality and detail is stunning and to see so much saved and reconstructed in one place as well as being in perfect condition is nothing short of remarkable. All this makes one wonder what it what it was like to explore one of these Edwardian masterpieces. Much closer to California and I am not sure if it is still there but years ago when I was looking at a number of antique shops in the St Louis area for ocean liner stuff I got a tip from a shop owner there was a room made of Mauretania paneling at one of the malls there. As I recall it was a store name Famous-Barr and was the formal restaurant in this store. Sure enough, I took a look and it was unmistakably Mauretania. They were nice enough to allow me to take my tripod in and make a series of pictures. While I was not able to exactly identify where in the ship these came from even after looking over the extensive collection of Mauretania brochures in Carl House’s collection. The paneling was very much like you see in the smoking room picture above on both sides of the doors. This restaurant was quite large and had a lot of the of paneling as well as other details that might have originally been placed over an entrance. I was not able to find out how it got there. The menu for this place known as the Mauretania Restaurant was a replica of an old Cunard menu and on the back included a full history of the ship but curiously the menu and history were for the second Mauretania. With the endless number of store mergers in the last 20 years or so perhaps this place is no longer there or no longer named as such. An internet search reveals nothing but does show the Mauretania Bar & Lounge in Bristol: http://www.mauretaniabristol.co.uk/ I probably should scan these slides, I used Kodachrome which picked up a brownish tint off the incandescent lights but this can now be corrected. I can than look to see if maybe the light fixtures might also have been from the great liner.
The MAURETANIA piece is obviously very popular, as it should be.
This is a living “fossil” of turn of the century décor, one that has certainly not been seen by many, other than those that traverse those hallowed halls of filmdom.
One rather trite, by that I only mean for authenticity for interior and on deck shoots, is the wonderful tear jerker, “An Affair to Remember” starring Cary Grant, Deborah Carr, Robert Q. Lewis, and other famed stars of the day.
The SS CONSTITUTION is featured on a crossing, westbound from England to NYC, and the footage of the liner is gorgeous, and probably restored over the years. The interiors look like a set, as does probably all of the land shots, totally on a set, I would think.
Interestingly, when we landed in Miami from our CELEBRITY REFLECTION cruise this past January, this movie was being shown, and we viewed it in the hotel suite. I just recorded it from TCM, and saw it last night again.
Each time I watch this wonder I find new things that become so dear. The Connie looks so beautiful.
Hello Richard (Weiss)
I have a chapter about the Bristol Mauretania in my book. Please feel free to email me** your scans I will be able to tell if they are from Mauretania.
Peter (N)
** please send Peter Knego an email to his MidCentury address and he will forward it to me – hope that is OK Peter K?
What a marvellous site! Ever since I was little I’ve heard about the beautiful interiors of the Mauretania because my grandfather was one of the wood carvers who worked on them. It’s lovely to see these photos and imagine that perhaps he produced some small part of them. Do you know if there any records listing the people who were employed on the wood carving?
Thank you for sharing these images!
Hello Audrey,
I tried to find out more about the wood carvers for my book. As the interiors were subcontracted to furnishing companies, I could not find the information. However, you may like to contact the Tyne & Wear Archives as they may be able to help.
http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/tyne-and-wear-archives.html
Peter
Thanks Peter, I’ll contact them and will let you know if I have any success.
Audrey
I was interested to read the information above and also to see the beautiful and intricately carved mahogany panelling from the Mauretania.
I should like to add that I have mahogany panelling and two doors from the Mauretania in the large sitting room of my house in Brighouse, W.Yorkshire.
Ravensprings is a Victorian mansion house which is currently used as a large self catering holiday house for groups of families and friends.
When I purchased Ravensprings in 2006 I was told that previous owners named Miller had gone to the auction in the 1930’s and bought a state room of panelling, doors and fitments. The panelling itself is beautifully preserved with similar patterning as in the library featured above. The of carving is quite modest in size and intricacy when compared to the beautiful items illustrated on this website. I suspect that other superior pieces were removed when the Millers moved on.
Ravenspring is certainly a glorious house Josy. The panelling looks interesting although from the photos on the web it is difficult to tell if it came from Mauretania. If you would like to know more, please contact Maritime Matters contact – see top of this page and they can give you my email address. Best wishes, Peter (Newall).
The tiny Oak Bar part of the Thos Reid Hostelry at the top of Dame Street, Dublin has wood panelling and some small carvings from the MAURETANIA. There are some framed notes regarding the vessel mounted on the walls eg. One confirms there were 300 Palestinian woodworkers working on the fitting out of this beautiful vessel for two years prior to her launch.
I have a circular piece of artwork which I believe to have been in the panelling on board the 1906 RMS Mauretania. It is a willow design in gilt on a black background with a dark wood surround. I was wondering if you have come across this in your records please?