In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Ayrshire-born designer Jean Monro was making a huge impact in the British design world. Her company, Mrs. Monro, was known for its English Country House Style, utilizing floral prints, pastel colors and traditional furnishings that epitomized the early “James Bond era”. Monro stuck to her guns and never veered off into the more minimalist Modern trends that would soon follow. Her work has been executed in 20 countries, most notably the Château de Sarans for Moet et Chandon and the British Embassy in Washington. Appointed an OBE in 1996, she died in 2013 at the age of 97.

Among Monroʼs more well known commissions were the Union-Castle Lineʼs RMS WINDSOR CASTLE (1960) and RMS TRANSVAAL CASTLE (1961) and Cunard Lineʼs RMS CARMANIA (ex SAXONIA) and RMS FRANCONIA (ex IVERNIA). The latter two liners were rebuilt into cruise ships in 1963, sporting new lido decks, full air conditioning and Monroʼs interior style. Both CARMANIA and FRANCONIA boasted double deck ballrooms with a grand staircase and balustrades framed in this iconic iron and brass railing. Save for furnishings and soft fittings, neither space had been altered until both ships were scrapped at Alang in 1999 and 2003, respectively. I rescued four strips of FRANCONIAʼs railing from the steel and brass smelters. Click on each image for measurements and pricing information.