Blenheim Palace, un-scaled plan of the piano nobile. The state apartments are the two sets of rooms either side of the principal dining room (Saloon) marked "B". The master and mistress (here the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough) lived their everyday lives in the similarly arranged but smaller suites either side of the smaller dining room marked "O"

A state room in a large European mansion is usually one of a suite of very grand rooms which were designed to impress. The term was most widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were the most lavishly decorated in the house and contained the finest works of art. State rooms are usually only found in the houses of the upper echelons of the aristocracy, those who were likely to entertain a head of state. They were generally to accommodate and entertain distinguished guests, especially a monarch and or a royal consort, or other high ranking aristocrats and state officials, hence the name. In their original form a set of state rooms made up a state apartment which always included a bedroom.

England[link]

In England in particular state rooms in country houses were seldom used. The owner of the house and his family actually lived in the "second best" apartments in the house. There was usually an odd number of state rooms for the following reason: At the centre of the facade, the largest and most lavish room, (for example at Wilton House the famed Double Cube Room), or as at Blenheim Palace (right) this was a gathering place for the court of the honoured guest. Leading symmetrically from the centre room on either side were often one or two suites of smaller, but still very grand state rooms, often in enfilade, for the sole use of the occupant of the final room at each end of the facade - the state bedroom. Unlike the main reception rooms of later houses, state apartments were not freely open to all the guests in the house. Admittance to the state apartment was a privilege, and the further one penetrated (there were many variations, but an apartment might include for example an anteroom; withdrawing room; bedroom; dressing room; and closet) the greater the honour.

Changes from the early 18th century[link]

From the early 18th century, as aristocratic lifestyles slowly became less formal, there was a move on the one hand to increase the number of shared living rooms in a large house and to give them more specialised functions (music rooms and billiard rooms for example) and on the other hand to make bedroom suites more private. In houses from earlier than around 1720 which survived without major structural alteration, the state rooms sometimes became a meaningless succession of drawing rooms and the original intention was lost. This is certainly true at Wilton House, Blenheim Palace, and Castle Howard. On the other hand there were a few houses, and royal palaces, most of them exceptionally large, which were laid out in such a way that the state rooms could be left in their original form, while other rooms were converted to meet the new needs of the 18th and 19th centuries, or where funds were available to simply add on extra wings to meet the new requirements. Examples of such residences with surviving state suites which have never really changed their function include Chatsworth House, and Boughton House.

The term "state" continued to be used in the names of individual rooms in some post 1720 houses (e.g. state dining room; state bedroom), but by then the original concept of a self contained state apartment for an honoured personage was lost, and the term "state" can be taken more accurately to mean "best".

On board a ship[link]

On board a ship the term 'state room' defines a superior first class cabin.

References[link]

• Girouard, Mark (1978). Life in the English Country House. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-02273-5. 
• Halliday, F. E. (1967). Cultural History of England. London: Thames and Hudson. 

• The Country House in Perspective. Pavilion Books Ltd.. ISBN 0-8021-1228-5. 

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Not to be confused with his son, Roy E. Disney.

Roy Oliver Disney (June 24, 1893 – December 20, 1971) was, with his younger brother Walt Disney, the co-founder of what is now The Walt Disney Company.

Early life[link]

Roy was born to Canadian Elias Disney and German-American Flora Call Disney in Chicago, Illinois. Roy served in the US Navy from 1917–19; a year later his brother Walt tried joining the US Army, only being refused due to being under age. Roy was later discharged from military duty after suffering an injury, and became a banker in Los Angeles. In 1923, Walt moved to Hollywood, joining Roy, together founding the Disney Bros Studio. Roy and Walt ordered and built kit houses from Pacific Ready Cut Homes (a Los Angeles company) and in 1928, they built their homes side by side on Lyric Avenue. Their homes were slightly customized and enlarged, and do not exactly match the original homes featured in the Pacific Ready Cut Homes catalogs.^[1]

Walt Disney Productions[link]

While Walt was the creative man, Roy was the one who made sure the company was financially stable; Roy and Walt both founded Disney Studios as brothers, but Walt would buy out most of Roy's share in 1929 and, unlike Max and Dave Fleischer of rival Fleischer Studios, Roy was not a co-producer.

Roy became the company's first CEO in 1929, although the official title was not given until 1968. He also shared the role of Chairman of the Board with Walt from 1945. Walt however dropped the Chairman title in 1960 so he could focus more on the creative aspects of the company. After Walt Disney's death in 1966, Roy postponed his retirement to oversee construction of what was then known as Disney World, and later renamed it Walt Disney World as a tribute to his brother. Roy became the president of Walt Disney Productions on December 15, 1966, and remained so until 1968.

Personal life[link]

Roy was married to Edna Francis, born January 16, 1890, death December 18, 1984,^[2] from April 1925 until his death; their only child^[3] Roy Edward Disney, was born on January 10, 1930. Throughout his life, Roy rejected the publicity and fame that came with being Walt's brother. He was extremely camera shy, and a passive individual resulting in few public photos being in existence.

Death[link]

After Walt Disney World opened in October 1971, Roy Disney finally retired. In early December of that year, he complained of a "spot" over one of his eyes and was scheduled to visit his optometrist for a new eyeglass prescription. He was discovered in a dazed condition, collapsed, next to his bed by family members; he died from a seizure. His interment was located in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery.

Tributes[link]

A statue of Roy O. Disney seated on a park bench beside Minnie Mouse is located in the Town Square section of Main Street, U.S.A., at the Magic Kingdom theme park in Florida. A duplicate is located outside the Team Disney building at Disney's corporate headquarters in Burbank, California. There is a third statue at the Tokyo Disneyland theme park. Roy O. Disney was the father of Roy E. Disney, who died on December 16, 2009. There is a Roy O. Disney Suite on the top floor of the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. The suite is one of the two largest suites of the hotel.

See also[link]

• Roy E. Disney

References[link]

Further Reading[link]

• Bob Thomas Building a Company: Roy O. Disney and the Creation of an Entertainment Empire. Disney Editions, 1998. ISBN 0-7868-6200-9

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Roy O. Disney

• Roy O. Disney at the Internet Movie Database
• Roy and Walt and Disneyland and Pacific Ready-cut Homes