Queen Mary Interior Spaces
The Queen Mary's interiors were designed in the late 1920s and early
1930s. These were the days when Art Deco was the latest style, largely
inspired by the Bauhaus movement started in Germany in the late teens
and early twenties where clean unbroken space replaced the lavish
carvings and ornate flourishes that once adorned the walls and ceilings
of liners built from before the turn of the century until W.W.I. The Queen
Mary was built in the Art Deco style but also retained some of the
traditional style from the earlier era namely in her many fine
hardwoods throughout the ship. 'The Ship of Beautiful Woods' is
one of the many names given to her in those days by journalists
who toured the ship upon her completion at the fitting out dock.
Queen Mary Promenade Deck
Entrance to Shops, 1996
Here is the entrance to the First Class Shops on Promenade Deck. This is where
current guided tours of the ship begin, and also where Liners and Queen Mary
list members meet for Luncheon once a month. "At the ships bell" means
right here. Note the worn condition of the decking here. Although worn, I like
it as it is original and shows the ships age in a beautiful way.
Queen Mary
Shopping Center, Promenade Deck
This is a view looking forward from the top of the main staircase
leading up from Main Deck. This is the First Class Shopping Center
and used to house onboard branches of popular shops in the US and
Britain. This was popularly known as 'Regent Street' by passengers
and ship staff. Among the stores there was also a library and a
chapel. This area is located between the first and second funnel
hatches. Note that since this photo was taken, the floor has been redone
in a pattern very close to the original 1936 one.
Queen Mary Observation Lounge
Forward of the first funnel is the observation lounge and cocktail bar.
This room affords its occupants a sweeping view out over the bow of
the ship and is a centerpiece in the ships architecture. The Promenade
Deck once encircled the forward part of this room, allowing passengers
an unobstructed path around the front of the ship. This was taken
out to add more capacity to the room much to the protest of passengers.
This room has changed very little from 1936, and it is still used today
much for the same purpose as it was designed for 60 years ago. The
painting seen behind the bar, 'The Royal Jubilee Week, 1935' by A.R.Thomson,
is original and has been in place since 1936.
Observation Lounge
Looking starboard in the observation lounge. Here we can see the rooms
extension to incorporate the enclosed circular promenade deck in to the
room.
Queen Mary First Class Pool
Here is a view looking aft of the First Class Pool on the Queen Mary.
Located on D deck with this view being taken from the balcony on C
deck (known after the war as R deck), the first class pool on the
Queen Mary was the most ornate to ever be put on a Cunard ship. Even
the Queen Elizabeth's first class pool did not achieve the grand
scale that this one does. The pool contained salt water filled only
halfway,
as the rolling of the ship would otherwise cause the water to spill
over on to the deck. I often wonder what it would have been like to
swim in the pool while the ship was rolling. The room is heaving to
and fro, and the water is responding in an opposite manner. It must
have been very interesting.
Queen Mary First Class Pool
Another view of the pool. Three decks high, from E deck to C deck. Modern
safety regulations prevent the current hotel from using this as a pool
because there is no shallow end. Disney attempted to combat this by
building an outdoor pool on the Queen Mary's fantail where the aft docking
machinery was. However it never came to fruition, when it was found
that the weight of the pool would not go well with the overall
stability of the ship as it is now structurally very different from
before the conversion. Note that a pool was installed on the aft of
the original Queen Elizabeth in the early 1960s. Also, the entire
ship was air conditioned at the same time, as she was expected to sail
until 1975.
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