Nigel,
FASCINATING PHOTO! I had never seen that one before! The floor tiles are the originals, meaning that it is an early picture. About the chair bolts: The table would have HAD to have been bolted. The chairs were optional. However, bolting a chair to the floor was by no means permanent. Obviously, there were bolts (as seen in other photos) but in Mr. Mengot's they had merely been unbolted. I believe (keyword: believe) that bolting was done by drilling small holes in the floor so that when the legs of tables, chairs, etc. were aligned with them, small screws on the bottom could be tightened, thereby securing them to the floor. These holes were located in multiple locations throughout the room so that furniture could be rearranged at the passenger's request. These holes can be seen in many photos. They are most obvious on page 64 of the Susan Wels book put out by the Discovery Channel. That is why tile was favored in the Smoking Room over carpet. However, that leads to another question: if there was carpeting in the Lounge, then were the chairs still bolted?
Also,
By "mystery piece," do you mean the square looking thing just beneath the revolving door? That was a wrap-around couch that was built into the wall just under the stained glass panels on either side of the fireplace. They were more like one-sided booths rather than couches, though. The square part that shows up in the photo is the end of it. The glossier, inner square is a section of leather that was placed on the end. There were two of these couches--one on either side of the fireplace. The edge of the other can barely be seen on the extreme left. In deck plans, they show up as J-shaped protrusions that sort of surround the fireplace.
Daniel,
Medieval figures are a great theory. That would fit the room's decor and it all seems to fit. Good idea.
All the best,
David
