- In Lusitania to the QE2: The Great Clyde-built Ships and the Creation of their Interiors Glasgow School of Art’s Bruce Peter tells the story of the skilled crafts industries that grew alongside Clyde shipbuilding to create world-famous ships with spectacular interiors
Image: late Art Nouveau style in the Empress of Japan (1929)
In the century spanning from the 1860s until the 1960s the shipyards on the banks of the River Clyde constructed some of the world’s greatest passenger ships. Liners such as the Lusitania, Aquitania, Empress of Britain, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth were internationally famous due to their size, speed and luxurious interiors. But the Clyde shipyards also built many other less prestigious passenger ships ranging from colonial liners and passenger-cargo vessels to packet ships, coastal excursion steamers and ferries.
Now in this new, richly illustrated publication – featuring over 300 images – The Glasgow School of Art’s Professor of Design History, Bruce Peter, tells the story of the creation of these celebrated ships and their astonishing interiors. Based upon extensive original research, Peter for the first time throws a light on a remarkable craft industry that grew alongside shipbuilding to make the acclaimed interiors and their furnishings.
Images: A classic Art Deco interior on the Queen Mary (1936) and 60s style on the Transvaal Castle
Lusitania to the QE2: The Great Clyde-built Ships and the Creation of their Interiors details a significant aspect of Glasgow and Clydeside’s design and making creativity and also shows how the building and outfitting of passenger ships was often a national effort. Famous architects such as James Miller and decorators like Wylie & Lochhead were involved, and the outcomes of their efforts were masterpieces of the decorative arts. Styles ranged from variations upon the Neo-classical to Art Deco, Moderne, Contemporary and Modernist, as well as eclectic thematic treatments. Because ships have short lives almost all of this work has now, sadly, been lost, but through this book people can immerse themselves in a fascinating span of interior design, craft and social history, whilst also revisiting Glasgow’s lost industries.
Bruce Peter is Professor of Design History at The Glasgow School of Art. His interests encompass modern architecture and design for transport, hospitality and entertainment (with a particular expertise in cinema design). Through his published books he has explored many aspects of maritime design. He has been an expert contributor to TV programmes for major UK broadcasters: Queen Mary: Greatest Ocean Liner (Scottish Television for BBC 2, 2016); Great British Royal Ships: Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia (Channel 5, 2017, 1,000,000+ viewers); and QE2: The World’s Greatest Cruise Ship (Channel 5, 2018, 1,000,000+ viewers). He was also the expert consultant on the hugely successful V&A exhibition ‘Ocean Liners: Speed and Style’ exhibition.
For interviews with Bruce Peter and access to a wide range of images of both the ships and their interiors contact:
Lesley Booth
0779 941 4474
Notes For Editors
Lusitania to the QE2: The Great Clyde-built Ships and the Creation of their Interiors is published by Ferry Publications, Telephone: +44 1624 898446; Email: info@lilypublications.co.uk; Address Ballachrink Beg, Jurby East, Ramsey
Isle of Man, British Isles, IM7 3HD
Lusitania to the QE2: The Great Clyde-built Ships and the Creation of their Interiors
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1: Clyde-built passenger ship interiors in the nineteenth century
Chapter 2: The first passenger ships with architect-designed interiors
Chapter 3: Floating palaces of the Edwardian era
Chapter 4: Liner interiors of the turbulent ‘twenties
Chapter 5: In the wake of the Paris Exposition
Chapter 6: The first post-war ship interiors
Chapter 7: The Festival of Britain and its effects on ship interiors
Chapter 8: The rise of the modernist mainstream
Chapter 9: The interiors of the last Clyde-built liners
Epilogue and conclusions