Furnishing the RMS Caronia
Much of the fitted furniture aboard Caronia was made by the famous Clydebank manufacturers H. Morris & Co., whose production during WWII was diverted into making rifle stocks, and even the prototype bomb casings for the “bouncing bomb”! Previously they had built and provided the furniture for Cunard's RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth.
Speaking of Queen Elizabeth, H. Morris were also commissioned to build furniture to be installed into Buckingham Palace, not long after Caronia had been launched. The range of quality woods and veneers used throughout the ship really defied logic. How they managed to procure these at a time of severe shortages of most raw materials, so soon after WWII, is really quite mystifying.
Bespoke Carpeting
The carpeting aboard Caronia was sourced from another Glasgow manufacturer: James Templeton & Co Ltd., wove carpets at its iconic Bridgeton factory, modelled on the Doge's Palace in Venice. They were also the largest employer in Glasgow in the 1950s, with around 7,000 workers.
[Left:]
Carpet layers at work in Caronia's main lounge. Like most others, this distinctive pattern carpet was
specially woven for the “Green Goddess”. Note also that the spectacular bronze “Mermaid
and Dolphin” made by Barney Seale F.R.B.S. is already placed in situ. I'm told that on Caronia's
last transatlantic crossing in 1967, a Master at Arms was posted day and night to guard this item.
[ Image: Scottish National Archive]
Clearly, the building of Caronia had helped the local economy so soon after the end of hostilities. However, there had also been an underestimation of her actual building costs, because shipbuilders John Browns made a loss overall on her construction.
Rare Wood Veneers
Procurement of rare and valuable veneers was probably another contributory factor to high and rising costs. Unlike metal, an organic material like wood needs to be specially conditioned before it can be used, especially for veneering.
This is by no means an overnight process. Should it go wrong, it's laid to waste as little more than firewood! The only mitigation was maybe a reduced call for its use during the hostilities.
Built by Master-Craftsmen
Unlike today where liner decks are level and bulkheads are square-on, Caronia's sheer provided no opportunity for mass-production, apart from maybe things like chairs, dining tables and beds. Simpler assembly using laminates in uniform pigeon-hole sized cabins with prefabricated self-assembly furniture was still some way off.
Fixtures like wall-panels, wardrobes and dressing-tables were all hand-built in-situ by master-craftsmen. Even though these were fixed, just like the loose furnishings, every item was marked and identified for its specific location.
Bedroom of a Main Deck Suite
Unique Curtains
Even such mundane items as drawers were made to fit their own location and were rarely interchangeable. One way of summing-up Caronia's luxury furnishings is by the fact that no two staterooms had the same pattern curtains. To allow for cleaning and passenger whim, each cabin was allocated at least two different sets!
Not even the best hotels or even stately homes ashore could match the bespoke nature of Caronia's furnishings. Unlike almost any other form of public transport there was very little to indicate any utilitarian usage, as the image above testifies.
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