QE2's Original Crockery by Julia Chandler for the Marquess of Queensberry

[Rob Lightbody]

Here's a photo of my sister and me at afternoon tea in the Double Down Room in 1969 with various pieces of the original crockery.

Thank you Bob, for bringing this to life with one of your photos, which as usual looks like it was taken yesterday.

[Adam Hodson]

Thank you for posting that picture Bob. The Double Down room really does look nice for afternoon tea.

[Adam Hodson]

Made of Steelite, an entirely new "unbreakable" china.

Was the steelite "unbreakable?" Has anyone seen any of the steelite get smashed?

[cunardqueen]

The steelite of today is certainly NOT unbreakable, its certainly toughened to withstand a good clattering, but unbreakable it is not. try throwing a cup against the floor!

We use a lot of steelite in the hotel, and as l say,  tough though it is, it will break if dropped on the floor, but putting a load through the dishwasher it will stand upto a lot of throwing about so to speak.

In the same token we have an unbreakable glass dance floor, no one has as yet tried to hit it with a sledge hammer to prove the point, but, we are assured it will stand such things .

[Adam Hodson]

Thanks for that information Myles. Yes I did think that it would smash if thrown against the floor.

In the same token we have an unbreakable glass dance floor, no one has as yet tried to hit it with a sledge hammer to prove the point

I would find it quite amusing to see someone try and prove the point. 

[Bob C.]

Thank you Bob, for bringing this to life with one of your photos, which as usual looks like it was taken yesterday.

I wish it was taken yesterday.  QE2 would be around for many more years and I'd be a lot younger!

[Cabin 2066]

I remember an incident involving this crockery.
I was on board QE2 on a cruise to Bermuda in late September, 1984 outbound from NYC. We were experiencing heavy seas outbound from NY due to a hurricane to our east. All outside decks were closed, only the Theatre Bar was open, vertical access was only via A and D stairs(the lifts being closed) and the corridors available for use were roped(an experience quickly learned if one wanted to get to any place open for those couple of days!).
I left my very seasick wife in the cabin and ventured up to the Theatre Bar for a wine before lunch.
In an inboard cornerof the bar, there was a fully laded cart of cups and saucers for afternoon tea in the Double room seemingly locked down(the cups were the same as those pictured in Bob C's picture above). Partway through my drink, the ship went into a deep trough first pitching to port then deeply going forward. With that, she pitched hard to starboard and then rapidly aft.
The cart came loose of the tie-down and took off aft like it had a rocket attached and made it past the cruise office nearly to the door into the Double room, only to flip as the ship began its gyration to port.
Needless to say, the "steelite" crockery shattered with only one surviving cup (which sits on my computer desk as I type these words - the bartender presented it to me at my request).
Everything is breakable if given the right conditions!

[Adam Hodson]

Great story! It's always great to hear stormy stories.


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[June Ingram]

Tom - wonderfully descriptive remembrance !!  And how wonderful to have the one surviving cup as a souvenir of that storm on our QE2 !

[Lynda Bradford]

Cunarder Man's Lord Queensberry plates that were on display at the QE2 50 Years Later exhibition in Glasgow in February 2018. 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Enjoying the full re-read of this excellent topic. The photo of young Bob C and his sister stands out (you actually look like your younger self, Bob) and so does Tom's story of a whole cartload of not-altogether-unbreakable Steelite, with the one surviving cup safe on his desk.

Cunarder Man, your plates look beautiful -- and I really like the shape, which would be put to a lot of use in my household...

[Michael Gallagher]

1969 Columbia Restaurant tableware with individual table lights