The Mystery Of The Town That Was Painted Red

There’s a thin line between genius and madness, and we think we’ve just found it. Anyone who’s been into central London over the past few days may have noticed a seemingly endless red line wending along the pavements of WC1 and WC2, like the aftermath of some giant menstrual snail. On and on it goes for well over two miles. And so did we, in search of answers.

The line begins at an anonymous looking bus stop close to Kings Cross. In fact, the trail starts (or ends) suspiciously close to Camden Council’s headquarters on Judd Street. Could the line be the result of a particularly merry New Year’s party at the Camden street markings department? Beats photocopying your buttocks.

As further evidence, the line appears to have been applied by machine, given the constant thickness. So, Suspect A is Camden Council, who have access to the necessary equipment.

The line continues down Euston Road, along Tottenham Court Road and on through parts of Covent Garden. From here, the mysterious stripe passes the Masonic Grand Lodge on Great Queen Street, and Aleister Crowley’s old gaff on Chancery Lane.

So, Suspect B is some kind of pagan acolyte seeking to turn the streets into a ritualistic canvas. Or something.

After Chancery Lane, the stripe enrouges the Strand before heading down Surrey Street towards the river. Here it does something really curious: it runs right up to that block over Temple Tube and halts. Only to restart again round the other side, next to the Walkabout. It then crosses the Embankment and stops once and for all at the Thames wall. There’s no trace of a continuation on the other side of the river, alas.

Strange stuff, indeed. Suspect C, and perhaps the most likely, then, is a street ‘artist’ a la Banksy or Tox, deciding to literally paint the town red.

Artistic prankster? Drunken council worker? We’ve no idea, really, who or what is behind this latest addition to London’s streetscape, so we want to know your theories. Given that the line never besmirches her majesty’s highways, instead stopping on one side of a crossing and restarting on the other, we’re inclined to believe this is some kind of official marking, perhaps for a cable or an upcoming race route.

But, until the culprit is caught very-much red-handed, we’ll never know.

Thanks to Terminates Here for the tip off.