Stuart Lythgoe
Member
Hi
Don't know how many of you guys are still interested in this post, but I thought some of you may enjoy a little informative information to broaden your knowledge a little. There are images of RMS Olympic being broken up in Jarrow, and of Wards remaining images went to a University on Newcastle Upon Tyne when Rio Tinto took over Wards in Sheffield. Included in this interesting little collection are images of panelling that were installed in Wards headquarters in Sheffield, for example, honour and glory crowing time, and shows the panel just after removal in a warehouse in Sheffield with other panelling/fittings glimpsed on the edges of the same picture. It also shows chairs from the 2nd Class Dining saloon in Wards yard in Sheffield as well as a colour image of Approach to the new world in its Mahogany surround in pride of place on Wards main staircase. Other points that you all mentioned. There are a selection of eight images that are held by South Shields Local History department which show parts of the First Class Smoking room, four images in all I think, two sections of the First Class Lounge, some fittings in an anonymous warehouse and I think the 2nd Class Library. When visitors took to the Olympic in October 1935 none of the major fittings had been removed as this was the responsibility of the purchaser during the time period from the end of the auction on November 18th until November 30th of that same year. There is an image conatined in Wards collection held at the University that shows the First Class Lounge a littel bare with all free standing furniture removed, but all panelling, fireplaces and lights still firmly in place. It would seem that any panelling left over was removed by the scrapping crews in December and then involved in another sale of which the location and specific details are currently unknown, but according to the vendor of the fittings that were sold from Anderson and Garland in 1994, they were purchased in Blyth , Northumberland. As for other fittings from the A La Carte Restaurant from Olympic, Mae Bamber had some free standing sideboards from a small selection of the left over panelling made and as part of a research trip recently in the North West of England, I rediscovered the sideboards which remain in private ownership (If anyone would like to see images, please contact me and I would be happy to send them) I also recently discovered, through further research that sections of Olympics grand staircase wrought iron work and two panels of wrought iron work that were located in Olympic's enquiry room are currently located in a cement works in Clitheroe that was built by Thos. W. Wards and Sons in 1935-1936, see this URL for a little more info http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/search/display.var.1319928.0.stairway_a_titanic_discovery.php. Unfortunately, the guy at the cement works who I gave the info to credited himself as finding out this information, not the gentleman pictured I might add, but I am the researcher mentioned earlier in the article. Oh, just thought, I'll have to have a dig around, but as far as prices to get on the Olympic during the viweing period, there was some kind of price in place and it was quite high, but people flocked through the turnstiles on Jarrow Docks during the viewing period to see this great old ship before the scrapping crews were let loose. Anyways, hope thats of help to some of you guys, if you've any questions, then don't hesitate to contact me and I'd be happy to discuss any of the above more. Oh, final point, did most people know that the panelling that used to be located in Haltwhistle was actually installed by the local unemployed contingent, when Smith and Walton put in planning permission for the new building in February 1935, they promised the local unemployed contingent work for a prolonged period if they would construct and sculpt the building and its interiors. They said that they would purchase materials from a ship being scrapped and that they would only do so on the condition that those seeking work would provide their assurance that they would do the work. That ship was of course the RMS Olympic and the room was dedicated towards the end of 1936 by a local dignitary when the 'Olympic Hall' was completed, according to a contemporary newspaper. The unemployed contingent crafted that entire building in the space of around ten months from fittings purchased from the RMS Olympic.
Don't know how many of you guys are still interested in this post, but I thought some of you may enjoy a little informative information to broaden your knowledge a little. There are images of RMS Olympic being broken up in Jarrow, and of Wards remaining images went to a University on Newcastle Upon Tyne when Rio Tinto took over Wards in Sheffield. Included in this interesting little collection are images of panelling that were installed in Wards headquarters in Sheffield, for example, honour and glory crowing time, and shows the panel just after removal in a warehouse in Sheffield with other panelling/fittings glimpsed on the edges of the same picture. It also shows chairs from the 2nd Class Dining saloon in Wards yard in Sheffield as well as a colour image of Approach to the new world in its Mahogany surround in pride of place on Wards main staircase. Other points that you all mentioned. There are a selection of eight images that are held by South Shields Local History department which show parts of the First Class Smoking room, four images in all I think, two sections of the First Class Lounge, some fittings in an anonymous warehouse and I think the 2nd Class Library. When visitors took to the Olympic in October 1935 none of the major fittings had been removed as this was the responsibility of the purchaser during the time period from the end of the auction on November 18th until November 30th of that same year. There is an image conatined in Wards collection held at the University that shows the First Class Lounge a littel bare with all free standing furniture removed, but all panelling, fireplaces and lights still firmly in place. It would seem that any panelling left over was removed by the scrapping crews in December and then involved in another sale of which the location and specific details are currently unknown, but according to the vendor of the fittings that were sold from Anderson and Garland in 1994, they were purchased in Blyth , Northumberland. As for other fittings from the A La Carte Restaurant from Olympic, Mae Bamber had some free standing sideboards from a small selection of the left over panelling made and as part of a research trip recently in the North West of England, I rediscovered the sideboards which remain in private ownership (If anyone would like to see images, please contact me and I would be happy to send them) I also recently discovered, through further research that sections of Olympics grand staircase wrought iron work and two panels of wrought iron work that were located in Olympic's enquiry room are currently located in a cement works in Clitheroe that was built by Thos. W. Wards and Sons in 1935-1936, see this URL for a little more info http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/search/display.var.1319928.0.stairway_a_titanic_discovery.php. Unfortunately, the guy at the cement works who I gave the info to credited himself as finding out this information, not the gentleman pictured I might add, but I am the researcher mentioned earlier in the article. Oh, just thought, I'll have to have a dig around, but as far as prices to get on the Olympic during the viweing period, there was some kind of price in place and it was quite high, but people flocked through the turnstiles on Jarrow Docks during the viewing period to see this great old ship before the scrapping crews were let loose. Anyways, hope thats of help to some of you guys, if you've any questions, then don't hesitate to contact me and I'd be happy to discuss any of the above more. Oh, final point, did most people know that the panelling that used to be located in Haltwhistle was actually installed by the local unemployed contingent, when Smith and Walton put in planning permission for the new building in February 1935, they promised the local unemployed contingent work for a prolonged period if they would construct and sculpt the building and its interiors. They said that they would purchase materials from a ship being scrapped and that they would only do so on the condition that those seeking work would provide their assurance that they would do the work. That ship was of course the RMS Olympic and the room was dedicated towards the end of 1936 by a local dignitary when the 'Olympic Hall' was completed, according to a contemporary newspaper. The unemployed contingent crafted that entire building in the space of around ten months from fittings purchased from the RMS Olympic.
