Everyone in the neighborhood looked at him with a bit of caution.

Maybe it was his odd behavior, or the way he seemed to hide from everyone else, as if

social contact were his least favorite thing.

Maybe it was his single filthy outfit that he wore each day working in the backyard,

or the way his unkept beard made him look more than a little wild.

Williams' behavior was certainly odd, that much was clear, but it wasn't because he was

hiding some nefarious crime or dark secrets.

No, it was odd because he was obsessed, and it all started with a wine-seller.

You see, back in the 1960s, Williams had decided that he could build his own by cutting through

his basement wall and digging out the necessary space.

But that simple action of pressing his shovel into the dirt triggered something inside

him, and he just kept on digging.

For over 40 years, Williams kept his unusual hobby a secret from his neighbors, digging

a series of tunnels that spanned multiple levels below his east-london home, and extended

well beyond his property line.

What gave it all away was the cave-in.

You see, in 2006, the sidewalk in front of his house suddenly fell into the earth, and

when the city sent an inspector to check it out, they discovered that Williams' decades

of digging was the cause.

Almost overnight, the odd man who made his neighbors feel a bit uneasy, earned himself a nickname

that stuck with him for the rest of his life.

The Mole Man of Hackney

...