Magnificent Glass Screen From
Canadian Pacific Lines
1961-Built SS EMPRESS OF CANADA
First Class Mayfair Room

Items from SS APOLLO (ex EMPRESS OF CANADA, MARDI GRAS, STAR OF TEXAS, OLYMPIC 2004, APOLLON)

A detail of one of the panes, taken on board the ship. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 1998.

All Original Vintage CP Materials
Mahogany Framework, Nickel Panes, Etched Glass Windows
Four Mahogany Framed Sections, Each Measuring 83.75 by 52 Inches
Each Individual Glass Pane Measures 23 by 26 inches
Every Other Pane Engraved With An Etching Of Canadian Flora
Twelve Etched Panes in All
Total Dimensions of Ensemble: 208 by 83.75 inches (17.3 by 6.98 feet)
Price: Please contact Off The Wall Antiques(310-930-1185).

Views of the glass screen on the APOLLON, as seen from the former first class vestibule. Top image and copyright Peter Knego 1998. Bottom image copyright David Powers 2001

When Royal Olympic Cruises magnificent SS APOLLON was sold to Indian shipbreakers and arrived at Alang in late 2003 as the APOLLO, a shudder rumbled through the hearts of vintage ship enthusiasts. The lovely liner was the final flagship of the once mighty Canadian Pacific Lines transatlantic service, and when she debuted as the EMPRESS OF CANADA in 1961, she was part of the last wave of British ocean liners that would also include Orient Lines ORIANA, P&O Lines CANBERRA, Union-Castle Lines WINDSOR and TRANSVAAL CASTLEs and Shaw Savills NORTHERN STAR. She was built during a transitional period between the more traditional post war stylings and the mid-1960s streamlined modern. The result was a pleasingly sleek profile and a spacious and modern ambiance with fittings in rich woodwork, etched glass, nickel and brass.
Canadian Pacific, like all the other established shipping lines, fell victim to the boon in air travel. By the late 1960s, the EMPRESSES were losing huge amounts of money and their cruise programs in the off season were not strong enough to absorb the negative financial impact. In 1971, the EMPRESS OF CANADA was laid up and in 1972, she was bought by fledgling Carnival Cruises who renamed her MARDI GRAS. Their empire was built on this ship, which was put into service virtually unchanged, save for a new funnel paint scheme based on CPs final logo. The deck names, Empress, Main, etc. remained unchanged (and later served as the nomenclature for their vast fleet of newbuildings).

MARDI GRAS stayed with Carnival until 1993, remaining structurally unchanged, retaining most of her CP fixtures, beautiful paneling, and British atmosphere. Of course, some of the fine woodwork was painted black or purple while the carpeting and soft fittings were done up in neon-bright hues, but underneath all of the Farcusian excess, the heart of an EMPRESS still pounded. Well, maybe except for the dining room, which got a neo-New Orleans brothel treatment in the ships latter Carnival years.

Top, the panels as seen from inside the former Mayfair Room. Note the flare at the top of the woodwork and the elegant curvature. Bottom, looking into the former Mayfair Room, which last served as a casino. Photos and copyright Peter Knego 1998.

A short phase as the unsuccessful gambling ship STAR OF TEXAS followed, and then the old liner fled to Greece to avoid creditors. There, she lingered in layup for several years, deteriorating considerably until her next owners, Royal Olympic Cruises, decided in late 1997 to completely refurbish her as the APOLLON. Twenty million US dollars later, she was not only cleaned up and reconditioned, but most of the decorative horrors Carnival inflicted upon her were dutifully rectified. The aft nightclub no longer sported black paint over its exotic veneers and there was no trace of the purple and magenta carpeting so popular on her three and four night Bahamas booze cruises. ROC took huge pride in the former liner, which was chartered by British-based Direct Cruises.

The four sections, resting upside down after being rescued from India and shipped to California. Photos and copyright Peter Knego 2005.

After a successful year, APOLLON returned to layup, then got a nice refit in early 2001, when she was given ROCs gorgeous blue and gold hull livery. September 11, 2001 killed tourism in the region for several years, helping force ROC into desperate times and the sale of three of its best ships (APOLLON included) to Indian shipbreakers.

This glass screen served as the aft bulkhead for the first class Mayfair Room on EMPRESS OF CANADA. It offered a view of the handsomely paneled vestibule through alternating windows etched with a different type of Canadian flora. On some of the etchings, you can see sphinx moths and various blossoms. They are carved into the glass, but also seem to have white frosted accents. The 23 by 26 inch glass panels are framed in nickel panes that are mounted into the mahogany framework, which disassembled into four 83.75 by 52 inch sections.

Some of the stunning details from just five of the twelve etched panes. Photos and copyright Peter Knego 2005.

Nan Elsan did the etched glass in the ballroom panels (all sold shortly after the container with these panels arrived), and may have been responsible for these beautiful creations, but this cannot be confirmed in any of the research documents I have thus far had access to.

For stability, each section sits upside down as they were designed with flared tops. They are massively heavy and required five men to move from the container to their resting place. It speaks volumes for their construction and quality that they survived the removal process in India and shipping to California. I had hoped to see these preserved by Carnival, perhaps in their corporate offices or with just the glasswork featured on a newbuild (since the mahogany frames would not pass new SOLAS muster), but Carnival had absolutely no interest. In ten or twenty years, someone there will realize what a sad mistake they have made. But I dont have that much time, so now they are available.