Grand Staircase of the Titanic

The set of large ornate staircases in the first-class section of the Titanic, and RMS Olympic ; sometimes collectively referred to as the Grand Staircase, is one of the most recognizable features of the British transatlantic ocean liner which sank on her maiden voyage in 1912 after a collision with an iceberg. Reflecting and reinforcing the staircase's iconic status is its frequent, and prominent, portrayal in media.

In the , the Grand Staircase landing is shown as a metaphor for the avarice of the British and American upper classes.

1943 film

's 1953 film has a number of scenes set on the Grand Staircase, though it bears only a superficial resemblance to the real one.

Jean Negulesco

's 1958 film A Night to Remember also features scenes on the Grand Staircase, with recreations of the A and D Deck levels. The sets were based on archival photographs of the Olympic, lending them a general appearance of authenticity.

Roy Ward Baker

In the 1979 docudrama actress Renee Harris, wife of producer Henry B. Harris, is shown stumbling on the steps and breaking her arm. This event took place in real life on the Titanic. However the staircase used was one from a mansion in London's Belgrave Square; it bore no relation to the appearance of the one on Titanic.^[20]

S.O.S. Titanic

(1980) features a version of the A-Deck Grand Staircase after the wreck is raised by the salvagers. Because it was filmed before the discovery of the actual wreck, it wrongly depicts the Grand Staircase as fully intact, to the point that the glass dome and bronze cherub are still in place. It also wrongly places the staircase at the end of a grand pillared gallery (there was no such feature on Titanic).

Raise the Titanic

The 1996 CBS miniseries features a recreation of the Grand Staircase, though it wrongly locates the A-Deck level, with its distinctive clock and cherub light fixture, opening directly onto the D-Deck dining saloon. It also eliminates the glass dome and the entire reception room.

Titanic

The staircase was a major focal point in James Cameron's as well. The forward Grand Staircase, decks A through D, were accurately built to the correct proportions, although the model that was used was 30% larger than the actual staircase. It was reinforced with a steel frame, as opposed to Titanic's made entirely in oak. The main body of the original grand staircase possessed twelve steps including the step landing below the clock. The film's replica had thirteen steps. Artisans from Mexico and Britain were hired to produce the opulent oak carvings and plaster-work, although some of the newel panels were plaster casts painted to look like wood, to save money and work. The 'Honour and Glory' clock was a major focal-point in the film - it was carved by master-sculptor Dave Coldham after the actual one from Olympic.^[21]

1997 film

The staircases are also depicted in the video game . The fore grand staircase is depicted correctly for the most part, aside from some inaccuracies in the D and E deck landings, but in the aft grand staircase there is no clock present on the A-Deck landing. The oil paintings are also not shown.

Titanic: Adventure Out of Time

There are also several Titanic museums that have detailed replicas of the grand staircase. The ones featured at the Titanic museums in and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee were built using the ship's original deck plans but each differs from the original by featuring brass hand rails below the original handrails (for guest safety). The one at Titanic Belfast was again forced to make some rather big changes to accommodate current regulations.^[22]

Branson, Missouri

that was (2017–2021) under construction in Sichuan was expected to include a recreation of the Grand Staircase.

The stationary full-scale Titanic replica

Of the many films which have been made about the sinking of Titanic, almost all have depicted the Grand Staircase in one form or another. The staircase has come to symbolize the overall opulence and grandeur of the Titanic.

Second and Third-Class Facilities on the RMS Titanic

Beveridge, Bruce (2009). The Ship Magnificent, Volume Two: Interior Design & Fitting. The History Press. 978-0-7524-4626-4.

ISBN

Cameron, James; Marsh, Ed (1997). . Harper Collins. ISBN 0-00-649060-3.

James Cameron's Titanic

Lynch, Don; Marschall, Ken (2003). . Madison Press Books. ISBN 0-306-81223-1.

Ghosts of the Abyss

Marschall, Ken (2001). James Cameron's Titanic Expedition: What We Saw on and Inside the Wreck. marconigraph.com.