IT WAS once the setting for exclusive cocktail parties hosted by the Royal Family, but now tourists can get a taste of the high life on the Royal Yacht Britannia's new Royal Deck restaurant.
Traditionally used by the Royal Family for lavish receptions, the deck will form part of the tour route for visitors.
The £1.5 million restaurant project is the first new addition since the ship was built in the 1950s.
The original teak deck ha
s been refurbished and a new bar and galley created to cater for guests.
Edinburgh-based design firm 442 Design was inspired by photographs of the ship in the Bahamas in the 1950s. The new space has been created by a slim steel truss which frames glass walls and supports a timber- panelled ceiling.
A fabric canopy stretches over the structure, replicating the original awning that would have been in place on the Royal Deck when Her Majesty the Queen entertained on board Britannia.
Kevin Rettie, creative director of interiors at 442 Design, said: "This was a challenging and highly prestigious project to work on.
"We hope we have achieved the balance between adding something striking and elegant with a unique atmosphere and importantly something that complements the original design."
The restaurant will be part of the Britannia visitor tour and is also available in the evenings for corporate events, catering for up to 176 diners and receptions up to 380. Food is prepared in the galley, which uses the original ship's funnel as an extractor.
The Royal Yacht Britannia was the Queen's floating royal residence for 44 years and, even with its full complement of around 300 Royal Yachtsmen and Royal Household staff, the Queen named it as the one place where she could truly relax.
It opened to the public as a five-star visitor attraction and corporate events venue in Leith in October 1998.
The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, which owns and maintains the ship, commissioned the £1.5m refurbishment to help secure Britannia's future.
The number of bookings in the last quarter of 2008 were down 15 per cent on the same period the previous year and, while the number of day visitors this year is up slightly, the Royal Deck Restaurant is expected to boost numbers further.
Britannia's chief executive, Bob Downie said: "This is a very exciting development for Britannia and we are confident that our visitors will be delighted with this enhancement to their overall experience.
"It was vital that we embraced Britannia's past in order to preserve a future for the Royal Yacht, and a lot of care and attention has therefore gone into this project."
VisitScotland recently awarded the Royal Yacht Britannia the highest ever grading for a visitor attraction, and last year it won a top prize in the Awards for Excellence, presented by Condé Nast Johansens.
