RMS OLYMPIC AT THE WHITE SWAN_ ALNWICK

							The White Swan Hotel is a 300 year old Coaching Inn set in the heart of Alnwick. Although the hotel has been extensively modernised it retains many of the features which were such a welcome sight to travelers taking the stagecoach from London to Edinburgh. You can experience the splendour of the RMS Titanic, in the historic Olympic Suite which has the original paneling, mirrors, ceiling and stained glass salvaged from RMS Olympic, the Titanic's sister ship. The hotel also has the Olympic's staircase which featured so prominently in the recent blockbusting film.

RMS OLYMPIC AT THE WHITE SWAN, ALNWICK

In the early 1900's, J. Bruce Ismay, Managing Director of the White Star Line and Lord Pirrie, Chairman of Harland and Wolff, Belfast, met to discuss the construction of two, later to be three, huge liners in an attempt to compete with Cunard who already had the Mauritania and Lusitania on the lucrative North Atlantic passenger service. Those three ships were the RMS Olympic, the RMS Titanic and the RMS Britannic. The RMS Olympic was the first of the three sisters to be completed and was launched on October 20th, 1910. She also completed service in the First World War and later returned to carry passengers in luxury. Of the three sisters, RMS Olympic was the only one to complete a full, serviceable life. In 1934 White Star merged with the Cunard Line at the instigation of the British government. Cunard White Star then started retiring older ships. Olympic was suffering from a number of agerelated problems and appeared outdated compared to newer ships. In January 1935 she was withdrawn from service. Olympic had been in service for 24 years. Olympic sat quietly at her berth in Southampton for the next six months, before being sold off by London Auctioneers Knight, Frank & Rutley . There were 4,456 lots. The general public could not view the items but only see descriptions in a catalogue which cost two shillings and six pence (12½ p). The Order of sale lasted nine days. First Day - Tuesday November 5th 1935 Sun Deck - Chart rooms, Wheelhouse, Officers Quarters LOTS 1-216 Promenade Deck - State Cabins 1-46, bath rooms etc. First Class lounge, Drawing and smoking rooms, Verandas, Cafes and services, First class staircase gallery. LOTS 217-497. Olympic's final voyage was up the Tyne River, under her own steam, to the town of Jarrow, being sold to Sir John Jarvis, a member of the British parliament, for £100,000. Sir John, a local businessman hoped to ease the hardships of an economic recession plaguing the small community. It was then resold

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immediately to Thomas Ward and Sons Ship Breakers for breaking at Jarrow. It was partially demolished at Palmers Shipyard, providing two years work for the region, employing thousands of men. At the sale, anything that was of any use was auctioned off. The then owner of White Swan Hotel Mr Algenon Smart, who had been a frequent passenger on the liner, successfully bid for the wood paneling and ceiling from the First Class Lounge, the Staircase and the revolving door from the liner's Restaurant. On 19 September 1937 the Olympic's hull was towed to Inverkeithing to T W Wards yard for final demolition. Some fittings and paneling also ended up at a Haltwhistle paint factory for a while and at the lounge bar of the Lambton Hounds Inn, Pity Me in County Durham. In 2000, Celebrity Cruises purchased some of Olympic's original wooden panels and created RMS Olympic Restaurant on board their newest cruise ship, Millennium. According to Celebrity Cruise Line, this rare collection of wood paneling once graced Olympic's à la carte restaurant.

THE FIRST CLASS LOUNGE
The Lounge for first-class was located amidships on Olympic`s Promenade Deck and it was the the area in which passengers met for cards and conversation over cups of tea along with other social interactions of the day. Unlike the Reading Room forward or the Smoking Room aft, the Lounge was designed for use by both men and women from morning till the room closed at 11:30 in the evening. Four large bays were fitted with oversized windows to provide panoramic views of the sea. The room was inspired by the French style of Louis XV. The craftsmanship was exquisite. The walls were covered with "boiseries" (elaborate wooden carving) which gave the room a distinct symmetrical appearance. Many of the details, such as the sconces and doorknobs were inspired by the Palace of Versailles. This has become known as the Louis Quinze Versailles style. The room was given a British accent in this comfortably Edwardian version, by the addition of oak paneling with delicate carvings in natural wood tones, rather than being gilded as was the fashion on the continent. A decorative but non-functioning marble fireplace with an elaborate oak and mirrored over mantle anchored the forward end of the room. Writing tables were arranged around the perimeter and postcards could be purchased for a penny from the steward in charge. A mailbox was provided in the corner

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of the room and passengers were cautioned that mail must be deposited here or handed to the purser at the enquiry desk to post-never left with a steward. The after end of the room featured a large mahogany bookcase with hundreds of volumes to borrow just for the asking. The Ship’s stock of permanent works was enhanced by topical reading provided by The Times of London’s Book of the Month Club. Behind the Lounge was an elaborate pantry that prepared afternoon tea and afterdinner coffee, plus made-to-order finger sandwiches. Also provided was a liquor pantry for the service of spirits. Most of the Olympics interiors have been well photographed and in fact most books on the subject contain pictures from the Olympic not the Titanic because the Titanic was not in service long enough for the paparazzi to thrive in stories and pictures. The RMS Titanic, reputed to be the World's largest liner, even larger than her two sisters due to the weight added by extra accommodation and having her promenade deck glazed in. The RMS Titanic foundered and sank after a legendary collision with and iceberg n April 15th 1912 with the loss of over 1500 lives. She was 're-discovered' in 1985 by Dr. Robert Ballard, some 400 miles from land and at a depth of 12,500 feet. The RMS Britannic was destined to be named The Gigantic. However, following the Titanic disaster, it was thought it would be tempting providence to call her by that name and so she was renamed RMS Britannic before completion. At the time of her launch, the First World War (1914 - 1918) was in progress and she was immediately requisitioned as a hospital ship. She was torpedoed on November 21st 1916 and still lies in the Aegean Sea.

RMS OLYMPIC First Class Lounge could be used as a cinema around the 1920`s. As you can see in the picture, the screen was placed over one of the first class lounge windows. After placing the screen over the window they would obviously move the chairs in front of the screen and after the film had been shown the screen would be removed and the chairs moved back to there normal position.

Men enjoy cards whilst a steward brings them tea.

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OLYMPICS final voyage as she is towed out of the Tyne, now stripped bare, on her way to Scotland.

Plans of the paneling for the First Class Lounge

The Olympic Lounge stood in for its sister ship in the ITV drama, Titanic _ Birth of a Legend, broadcast on the 29th December 2005.

An artists impression of the First Class Lounge off Olympic

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