Lyttle arrived in London from his home country of Ireland in the mid-sixties when he inherited 121 Mortimer Road in the London borough of Hackney from his parents. Records show Lyttle’s occupation listed as civil engineer but no evidence exists that he was qualified or ever had a career in civil engineering.

Lyttle excavated an extensive network of tunnels under his property and surrounding public and private land from the 1960’s to 2000’s. Rather than being a recluse, Lyttle was described as a rather chatty, eccentric, energetic character who would often be seen at local scrap yards and markets.