The Duke’s Titanic TV Moment!
If you’re a fan of the BBC’s Great British Railway Journeys, you might have seen the Duke of Cornwall Hotel appear in a recent episode. In presenter Michael Portillo’s journey along the South West’s railway network, he stops off to talk to Nigel Voisey, organiser of the Titanic exhibition that starts here at the Duke this weekend.
In the programme, Nigel explains the role played by Plymouth, and specifically the Duke of Cornwall, in the tragic story of history’s most notorious cruise liner. Ascending the spiral stairs into the Duke’s tower ahead of his chat with Nigel, Michael Portillo remarks, “What a brilliant place!” and compliments its “superb view”.
During Nigel’s interview, he talks about how the hotel welcomed twenty stewardesses who survived the Titanic disaster on the night they returned from their infamous ordeal.
If you missed the programme, you can still catch it on the BBC iPlayer until 11th February. (Look out for the the interview from around 5 minutes and 30 seconds.) It’s nice to see our iconic hotel get it’s moment of fame on prime-time TV!
And don’t forget that Nigel’s fantastic Titanic exhibition opens this weekend in our ballroom. This builds on the success of last January’s Titanic event, which attracted thousands of people. Nigel is confident that this year’s offering will be even more impressive: “This exhibition will be bigger and better than the last, with lots more interactive items. And for the first time ever, items from Titanic which have recently been acquired will be on display in the South West.”
The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to get a close-up look at a range of artefacts relating to Titanic and its parent shipping company White Star Line. The objects on display are assembled largely from Nigel’s own personal collection, and include original Titanic drawings and documents as well as original White Star branded dishes and cutlery.
If you get a chance, come along to see the exhibition sometime over the next five days. The event will run daily from Saturday 27th January through to Wednesday 31st January. Entry costs £2 per adult and is free to under-16s. For full details, click here to visit the event page.
