The main character’s new office is on floor 7½, where the ceilings are so low that employees can’t stand upright.

Beard Construction had a similar experience when replacing the famous painted ceiling panels at Oxford University’s grade-I listed Sheldonian Theatre. Re-fixing the 32 panels meant installing a complicated birdcage scaffold to provide safe working access. The 17th century allegorical paintings show Truth descending to expel ignorance from the university, giving Beard’s staff a lofty subject to contemplate in the cramped conditions.