Britannic fittings on Ebay

[Remco Hillen]

It seems to be original...but it is Ebay.

This is a part of the text on the page:

This fantastic wooden section is from the Grand Staircase and is IDENTICAL to that fitted to "Titanic". On the back of the piece is engraved: 1ST CLASS ENT BRIDGE DECK ATH AFT END 433. This refers to the position and the ship's build number. Overall condition is very good.
Last year, a public house in Belfast, Ireland; 'The A1 Bar' was stripped out and these pieces were discovered. After the ship's loss, her fittings were sold off by 'Harland & Wolff'.

The last text is the most interesting, about that bar. There were rumours about fitting from Britannic being somewhere in Belfast in a bar, so that can be true.

The line 'wooden section is from the Grand Staircase and is IDENTICAL to that fitted to "Titanic".' is perhaps a bit misleading.
Interpreting the text on the fitting, it seems to come from the aft 1st class Entrance on B-deck. So while it comes from a GSC, it is the aft one and it could be from everywhere in the room.
This does not come from the boatdeck/Adeck dome-covered GSC, of which most people think when they heard 'Grand Staircase'.
And to say it is identical to Titanic is rather hard to check....

More opinions?

Regards,
Remco

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Interesting. Is there a paper trail somewhere to establish provenance? If not, I'd be suspicious.

 

[Mark Chirnside]

If I remember correctly, some of Britannic's (unspecified) panelling did end up in a Belfast bar. This may be it, but certainly we can debunk the assertion that it was identical to Titanic's fittings.

Each GSC -- as you know -- had slightly different carving, on both Olympic and Titanic, with individually carved newel posts. Britannic's designs were different still; even her aft grand staircase would have been altered, as the new reception room and other changes altered the size of this landing, which had served as reception room on Titanic.

I notice it's already going at $200 American -- let's hope if it is real that some genuine enthusiast buys it rather than a rich one.

Best regards,

Mark.

 

[Remco Hillen]

Another Britannic fitting is on Ebay.
I assume it comes from the same bar in Belfast.

White Star Line "BRITANNIC" GRAND STAIRCASE ARCHITRAVE SECTION.
A 3' 11" length of architrave is from the third of the 'Olympic' class liners and sister to the ill-fated "Titanic".

This beautiful wooden section is from the Grand Staircase and is identical to that fitted to "Olympic" and "Titanic". On the back of the piece is stamped: 1ST CLASS ENT BRIDGE DK ATH FORE END OF ELVATOR 433.

Recently discovered in a public house in Belfast Ireland, whilst stripping out a bar.

This piece has been beautifully restored, at great expenses, to how it would have looked originally on the ship, being stripped and waxed.


Item looks rather nice I must say, too bad I haven't won the lottery lately...

Regards,
Remco

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Well, this one still has eight days to go so anything is possible, but as I post this, it looks like only a single solitary dollar has been bid on the peice. You may not have to rob a bank after all if you really want this piece. <shrug>

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

Do you suppose if indeed the real mccoy, this woodwork had indeed been installed on Britannic, but was later removed; or was never installed at all?>


Tarn Stephanos

 

[Remco Hillen]

Good question...!
When she was first called up for service, not much panelling was installed. Most of these fittings were taken off again.
When she was called up the second time, H&W had been working on her for about 3 months. Quite a lot of panneling can be installed in that time; but almost nothing could be taken off because of the lack of time. Believe it was about 6 days that she moved from Belfast to Southampton. In that time she had to be ready to serve as a Hospital Ship again.

I don't know of accounts which tell something like "The Grand Staircases looked marvelous", or something like that, while there are accounts that the Dining Room and cabins were panneled. There is also a picture, I'm sure you know it, which shows a quite bare GSC landing.

I don't know a thing about fitting out ships, but I can image that they would do the staircases, and other important passages, at the the end; so that there is little change to damage things.

So my guess would be that this piece had never been installed, but it's only a guess. No way tell to for sure at this moment.

Regards,
Remco

 

[Nigel Bryant]

There was a photo that somebody posted showing a first-class stateroom on Britannic, i think forward on B-deck. I think I saw a Dining Room chair beside the bed, identical to the ones on Olympic & Titanic. So it does seem Britannic did have some of her commerical passenger furniture on her as well.

All the best,

Nigel

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

The swimming bath was aparently finished, in fact more opulant than what was on Olympic or Titanic. And some of the B deck suites were finished too. But the Sheila MacBeth phtos suggest the grand staircase was plain and without paneling, the dining room bare exposed without wood......Just think, Titanic was not even 100% complete when she sailed on her first voyage, so one would think Britannic had a long way to go as well......


Tarn Stephanos

 

[Remco Hillen]

Makes an interesting question...where would H&W draw the border for the fitting out of the ship?

What would have been exessive fittings and what would have been necessary luxury fittings?

The cabins seem to have been finished; was this done strictly for the RMS Britannic, or would they have done that for the medical personel? I can somewhat image that they wouldn't like to have surgeons in bare rooms with 1 bed and 1 chair during all the voyages.

The Grand Staircase seems to have only the necessary fittings, the railings. When you look carefully at that picture, you can see them.
Sounds logical too me, panneling this is not really necessary and it could only be damaged.

Furniture is interesting too, as Nigel notes.
Would all the furniture on the ship have been intended for RMS Britannic, or was some furniture some sort of standard for Hospital ships?
I'd say, pure guess, that the furniture on the ship was the RMS furniture.

All these questions...

Regards,
Remco

 

[Daniel Klistorner]

Remco,

Not all the Britannic furniture (beds and otherwise) made it on her. There was a bed installed on Olympic (either B or C deck fore, cabin 1 I think) which bore the #433 ship number. I did also mention that it looks Olympic got Britannic's grand staircase floor coverings and some foyer furniture. The rest seems to have been sold off.

Daniel.

 

[Remco Hillen]

Hmm, now how can I overlook a message in this section?

Olympic got the tiling which was supposed to be for Britannic's grand staircase? Very interesting; never heard that before.
Are there pictures which show it? The artist impression made of Britannic's GSC shows the tiles quite well; so a comparision can be made I think.

Sounds logical though; after the war there would have been things worn out; things like tiling sound very logical. And if you have some tiling laying idle which was to be for Britannic...
That only applies of course if Olympic got that tiling after the war.

Something related: There is another Britannic fitting on Ebay again. It look a lot like a piece which has been on there some weeks/months ago. I'm quite sure it is the same thing actually.

Nice piece nonetheless, and at $325 below the price the last piece went. (I can remember $500)
Pitty it is out of my range

Regards,
Remco

 

[Remco Hillen]

I've just seen a picture of Olympic GSC, and the tiling in that particular picture looks exactly as the one depicted in the artist impression of Britannnic's GSC.
I'd never heard of this interesting fact before.

Regards,
Remco