Abstract
THE Cumberland Hotel at Marble Arch, London, is now open to the public. It has a thousand bedrooms and the total number of lamps installed throughout the bedroom floors is nearly 10,000, requiring 400 horse-power. The electrical installation work was carried out by the Electrical Department of Messrs. J. Lyons and Co., Ltd. The lighting is all done by the latest modern methods. In the octagonal lounge a continuous band of sun-ray tube encircles the room at ceiling level. It is partly hidden by a decorative cornice of amber glass rods. The drawing-room is lighted by eight inverted glass cone reflectors fitted in gilded recesses provided in the walls. In rooms with twin beds a somewhat novel switch is provided. It has two hinged doors. Should the occupant of the left-hand bed wish to read while the other sleeps, the light can be made to illuminate one side only by closing the other door. By closing both doors it becomes a night light which can be switched off if desired. The maid can be summoned by pressing a button; this lights a number of lamps which guide her to the room. The system for regulating the condition of the air in the rooms is very thorough. The air entering the building is passed through a huge air washer and dehumidifier which get rid of all impurity. It is then drawn through an oil filter and afterwards, if it is summer, it is cooled by refrigerators and, if winter, it is warmed by a bank of heaters. Guests can regulate the atmosphere of their bedrooms to three different levels by moving a valve lever. Throughout the public rooms are hundreds of concealed air inlets and also outlets which draw away used air, tobacco smoke, etc. The atmosphere is completely changed every four or five minutes. It is calculated that the fifty-four large fans move hundreds of tons of air hourly.
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Electrical Equipment of London's Latest Hotel. Nature 132, 959 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/132959b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/132959b0