Mick Jackson's first novel, The Underground Man (1997), was inspired by the 5th Duke of Portland, an eccentric Victorian aristocrat who built a network of tunnels under his estate right here at Welbeck Abbey. The novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, The Whitbread First Novel Awa rd and won The Royal Society of Authors' First Novel Award. Mick will be reading from the novel as well as discussing where the ideas came from, how he researched the project and wondering aloud why tunnels (and eccentricity) continue to play such a major part in his work.