The heavy glass bronze doors

[Rob Lightbody]

On QE2 in 2008, there were very few of these wonderful original doors left, but as built, she had lots of them.  Their removal had the effect of making the ship more and more open-plan, and losing more and more of her original interior style.  when I came across one of these doors, I had to stop and look at them.  They were quite something.

I don't think these doors should every have been removed, as they were an intrinsic part of the design of the ship.  Where they had to be removed, they should have been relocated or stored.  For instance, the Yacht club could have had these doors, as could the Mauratania restaurant (from Crystal Bar),  The Chart Room (from lifts and promenade)... I could go on!

You can read all about them here - http://vads.ahds.ac.uk/diad/article.php?title=244&year=1969&article=d.244.39

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Here are a few more :

Entrance to Queen's Grill :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/2695788191/



Same door, just the handle :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/2695788447/



Glass door to Quarterdeck promenade :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/3742732428/



And the handle :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/3742732920/



They really were beautiful! I loved the heaviness of the doors and the simplicity and effectiveness of the design.

I believe that the leather strip (see Queen's Grill and Princess Grill doors above) was part of the design. It must have been removed from the Quarterdeck door, hence perhaps the different screw to keep the handle in place.

[ancoaster78]

Couldn't agree more with Rob's comments, these doors were a very key part of the ships original interiour style, one of the aspects which tied the whole thing together, some uniform linking all the different areas, pure class. I wouldnt have minded the leather bits changing colour to suit new designs around them, and im eqalluy happy with the all glass ones with no leather but the same handles where that is more appropriate, but to replace them, no no no :-(

[Twynkle]

Although it's difficult to see from this image,
there were several similar doors to those on QE2,
on the 'Saga Ruby'.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/watch_keeper/3774715261/

Were any removed / replaced because of SOLAS requirements?

[flagship]

Remembering that weight presented some of the biggest problems to the designers involved with QE2, it seems slightly absurd that the doors to the public rooms would weigh 1½cwt each when installed in the 1960s. When built there were 30 pairs of bronze glass doors installed around the public areas all designed by Dennis Lennon. Each door was seven feet high and three feet wide and was made of half-inch-thick toughened Parallelo tinted bronze glass. The doors were considered very handsome at the time and were a great unifying force.

A wide strip of coloured leather ran from top to bottom on the hinge side and across the door as a pushbar to meet the handle, a simple tube of stainless steel in three dimensions and fixed a two points to an L-shaped steel plate. The colour of the leather related as closely as possible to that of the room the doors opened into – red, brown, blue, plum, green, beige and black. The tint of Parellelo bronze glass, imported from the United States, prevented any clash of colours.

There was meticulous attention to detail: patch plates were in a bronze which exactly matched the glass; a thin line of chrome separated the leather panel from the glass and clearly expressed that it was a panel applied to the surface; the springs were either sunk into false floors or concealed in the stainless steel transom frame; the handles was shaped to be grabbed a dozen different ways and there was a sizeable gap between the hinge edge of the door and the chrome post to prevent fingers being crushed.

Where regulations demanded the provision of fire doors they were concealed in either side of the glass doors.

By the time of QE2’s retirement there were 13 of these doors left.

Their removal over the years was nothing to do with SOLAS but as Rob said part of a continual desire to open up QE2  more.

[Rob Lightbody]

13 doors left?  Wow.  More than half gone, how sad!  I'm now trying to think where they all were...  736 club entrance... PG bar entrance (single door) ... there was one at the entrance to crystal bar on port side, not sure if there was a matching one on starboard?  And... I cant think where all the other were!

Great info flagship, thanks!

[Chris]

Rob,

The Grand Lounge had them at the forward end of the room on the Upper Deck level, both sides (4). Two also at the forward entrance of the Queens Grill (maybe as you referred to as Club 736?). PG Lounge (1), Crystal Bar Port and Starboard side (4).

If Michael refers to 13 in total as (individual doors) - I count 11 above...

[flagship]

Here's where the 13 where:

Queens Grill
(forward entrance) x 2

Boat Deck
(cabin corridors port and starboard leading to Royal Promenades) x 4

Princess Grill Lounge x 1

Mauretania Restaurant
(forward entrance) x 2 – LOCKED

Crystal Bar
(Promenade leading to Golden Lion) x 2

Crystal Bar
(Promenade leading to Casino) x 2

[Chris]

Were the ones forward of the Grand Lounge removed sometime in the recent past? Or were they not originals?

[flagship]

They weren't originals I'm afraid Chris.

[Twynkle]

Hello!

Thank you - This calls for another good look at all the photographs now!
There were glass doors into the Library and the Shop, were these 'new' too?

Can't wait to get onto the subject of the wonderful lighting - both in and out!
The white globes-on-poles (!) on the decks astern - Were they original?
they were incredibly beautiful,
very simple - and seemed perfect both in proportion and place...
In stormy weather, at dusk etc etc
Won't go on as I'm almost in tears!

Rosie

(PS Rob, does 'Lighting' need a new thread?)

[flagship]

Hello Rosie

The doors to the Bookshop and Library were not original - they were 1994 additions when this space was revampoed with the Card Room becoming the Bookshop and the Library being rebuilt. The entrance to the Card Room was orignally next to the Gents toilet door by D Stairway and the entrance to the Library was originally next to where the red post box was situated.

The lights on white posts were added in 1983 when the Magrodome was added - the posts were originally painted black.

Michael

[bswan]

A very interesting design those doors. Still very stylish

[foreshore]

Very much in agreement that they are really beautiful doors, and were a very clever (but still subtle) way of tying in a number of different spaces spread over a large area. They always seemed to invite you to touch them!

Must admit, I do wonder what the developing impact of SOLAS, specifically fire zoning, might have had in addition to the primary quest for making QE2 more open plan, during her service life?

As much as the side gaps could be filled in, the centre gap remained and the glass would not offer the required minimum protection times, so unless all the doors were situated inside fire zones (?) - as in not fire zone boundaries, they would have needed accompanying fire doors, or replacing with something ugly, solid and functional.