Day 2 of my 2023 drabble-a-day challenge! Here is today’s drabble:

The Thoughts of a Succession of Men at The Desk in Room 3

1895

Iron alone won't be enough; they'll need to paint ritual markings, too. Henry has spoken to the blacksmiths, and reckons they can hide the runes in a fanciful design.

1948

Thank God the bombs missed it. Henry would have been terrified it would get loose.

1999

The paint's peeling right off. We'll have to redo it, though all that gilding seems unnecessary - I suppose it'll be pretty for the Millennium. Wonder who "Henry" was.

2033

The bill was horrific thirty years ago. We can't waste taxpayers' money: clean off the worst of the rust, coat of black paint, done.

Once, long ago, in the Beforetimes, I worked in an office in Holborn. Occasionally, my lunchtime walks would stray far enough East to take me over Holborn viaduct. The viaduct is an impressive affair: dark red paint, the arms of the City of London, and a large number of painted statues of dragons.

Recently, my office (sort of same job, different company) relocated. I’m currently auditioning different commuting routes, and today saw a twenty minute stretch of walking which took me under Holborn viaduct. The viaduct is held up by beautiful stone pillars, complete with gilded capitals, and ribs that are carved into curlicues, flowers, and dragons. The red paintwork at the sides is a mass of detailed gilding, and more dragons. You can get a decent view of it on Google Streetview.

The viaduct was built slap-bang in the middle of the Victorian Twiddly period. That’s probably all there is to it.

Probably.

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