Fred Dibnah Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Fred Dibnah (29 April 1938-6 November 2004), born in Bolton, Lancashire, was an English steeplejack and latterly television broadcaster.Fred was firstly famous for his profession as a steeplejack, though rather than being a traditional repairer of tall buildings he earned a reputation for chimney felling. Bolton, once famous for the soot and grime produced by the town's multitudinous mill chimneys, required many of the town's landmarks to be removed as the cost of maintaining an obsolete chimney became prohibitive. So Fred became an entrepreneur offering to remove these without the need for explosives. The technique was to cut a throat at the bottom of the chimney, prop the brickwork with wooden props and eventually burn the props so that the chimney fell, hopefully in the intended direction. He fixed things too, as his work on Bolton Town Hall and a number of church spires testify.
At the age of forty he came to the public eye when the BBC broadcast a short news item about him. His warm, earthy manner combined with his endless enthusiasm endeared him to viewers, and the BBC made a 1-hour documentary, Fred Dibnah - Steeplejack, the following year. This featured Dibnah at work, both repairing and demolishing chimneys. Much of it was taken up by his monologue while climbing (entirely fearlessly) chimneys and spires, with the highlight being his demolition (by the burning method) of a tall brick chimney, his running from the collapse, and his boyish glee at the spectacle.
Fred Dibnah's rough-hewn Lancastrian manner (and his ever-present flat cap) belied his gentle, self-taught philosophical outlook. He went on to write and present a number of series, largely concerned with the Industrial Revolution and its mechanical and architectural legacy.
Fred was also an enthusiastic steam fan and had his own traction engine an Aveling & Porter Steam Road Roller "Betsy", Reg No: DM3079, built in 1910. Fred hosted a number of further BBC series looking at steam and the Victorian era when it was the backbone of industry.
In 2004 Fred was awarded an MBE. He died in 2004, following a three-year battle with cancer.