Fred Dibnah
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Frederick Travis Dibnah, MBE (28 April 1938 – 6 November 2004), was an English steeplejack and television personality, with a keen interest in mechanical engineering, who described himself as a "backstreet mechanic".[1]
When Dibnah was born, Britain relied heavily upon coal to fuel its industry. As a child, he was fascinated by the
In 1978, while making repairs to Bolton Town Hall, Dibnah was filmed by a regional BBC news crew. The BBC then commissioned a documentary, which followed the rough-hewn steeplejack as he worked on chimneys, interacted with his family and talked about his favourite hobby – steam. His Lanky manner and gentle, self-taught philosophical outlook proved popular with viewers and he featured in a number of television programmes. Towards the end of his life, the decline of Britain's industry was mirrored by a decline in his steeplejacking business and Dibnah increasingly came to rely on public appearances and after-dinner speaking to support his income. In 1998, he presented a programme on Britain's industrial history and went on to present a number of series, largely concerned with the Industrial Revolution and its mechanical and architectural legacy.
Dibnah died from bladder cancer in November 2004, aged 66.[2]
Early life
Childhood
Fred Dibnah was the son of Frank and Betsy Dibnah (née Travis),
The Bolton arm of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal was one of Dibnah's regular haunts. The canal was by then largely disused (the Bolton arm had been mostly closed in 1924) and Dibnah sometimes dredged it with an iron hook on a rope, for what he called 'plunder'. Much of this was stored in the back yard of his mother's house. Dibnah and his friend Alan Heap built a canoe from old bicycle wheels (cut in half to make the ribs), slate laths and a canvas sheet from the back of a lorry. Much to the consternation of his mother, Dibnah sailed the boat along the nearby River Croal.[9] He once astonished his teachers when, following the theft of the school keys, he cut new keys for each classroom door.[10]
As a young man
At school Dibnah was placed in an art class (his reading and writing skills were judged to be poor),
He clapped that chimney on the roof when he was sixteen, I've had to live with it ever since. It's awful. I came home one day from work and there it was, sticking up in the sky. The photographer came from the Evening News. People drove here on Sunday afternoons to stare at it. Everyone said our Fred was a lunatic.
Betsy Dibnah[13]
Dibnah had watched the activities of steeplejacks throughout his childhood, and first witnessed a chimney felling from his father's allotment near Bolton's greyhound track at Raikes Park. The steeplejacks removed the top of the chimney and then created a hole in its base, propped with blocks of wood. They then lit a fire, destroying the supports and causing the chimney to collapse. Unfortunately, on this occasion the chimney fell in the wrong direction, onto the greyhound track's dog kennels, a local café and a series of power cables.[14]
His first job that involved ladders was given to him while he still worked as a joiner. He was asked to
National service
Aged 22, Dibnah was conscripted into the army to complete his
It wasn't a bad thing, if National Service had been kept going it might have kept all the vandals and hooligans we have now in line.[21]
Steeplejack
On his return from National Service in 1962 Dibnah retrieved his tools from storage, bought a 1927 350 cc
He was then commissioned to repair a chimney at a local brewery. While working on this, he met a local welder who also knew the vicar of Bolton (Richard Greville Norburn), who wanted some repairs made to Bolton
His next major job was for local firm Hick Hargreaves, the proceeds of which enabled him to expand his collection of ladders to 30. He was commissioned to remove the top half of a 270-foot (82 m) chimney and employed an assistant, Percy Porter. The top of the chimney contained a length of railway line, which had been used for lifting materials during construction. Dibnah hacksawed the line into pieces, letting each piece fall to the ground, while his assistant below kept the area clear. He then spent the next six months removing each brick by hand while the chimney was still in use, as the factory could not afford to halt production.[26]
First marriage
In 1967, following disagreements over who should be invited to their wedding, Dibnah and 19-year-old hairdresser Alison Mary Foster eloped to
On 19 May,[3] the two married at the church at Gretna Green and returned to live at Dibnah's mother's house. They later moved into a Victorian gatehouse on the Earl of Bradford's estate, just outside Bolton.[27] Dibnah spent years restoring the property, including building an extension. The house was a listed building and so he had to source appropriately aged bricks for the extension. A vicar offered him some of the old gravestones from the church graveyard, which Dibnah then used to create the stone lintels and mullions, though he later expressed his fear that his property would now be haunted.[29] The couple later purchased the house for £5,000, although it required major repairs to stabilize the rear wall.[30]
The couple had their first child, a girl named Jayne, in June 1968. Alison was initially worried about her husband's occupation but learned to deal with the risk and to trust Fred. She organised his accounts and even collected debts. She also helped him demolish some of the chimneys that he worked on, by lighting the fire to burn away the temporary supports he had put in place.[31]
Chimney felling
Having mastered his trade repairing chimneys, Dibnah became aware of the demand for a cost-effective method of demolishing them. He offered to remove them without using
He almost lost his life in 1997, when a concrete chimney he had been asked to fell on Canvey Island began to collapse before the felling team had finished preparing the base. As the team ran from the chimney, Dibnah tripped and fell and was greeted by the sight of 2,500 tonnes of concrete leaning toward him, but fortunately the chimney righted itself and then fell in the opposite direction.[34] The last chimney he felled, which was his 90th, was in Royton, in May 2004.[35]
Steam
Dibnah's interest in steam power stemmed from his childhood observations of the steam locomotives on the nearby railway line,[36] and his visits to his father's workplace—a bleach works in Bolton—where he was fascinated by the steam engines used to drive the line shafting.[37] A small mill near his childhood home was sometimes mothballed and Dibnah once broke in:
I remember getting into the mill and lifting up a dust sheet to have a look at the engine they'd got under it. I found there was this beautiful British racing green steam engine under there with all the brasses left on. The boilers were still there and there was plenty of grease on everything, all ready and waiting for the next job. It was a bit sad really to see it standing there idle like that.
— Fred Dibnah[38]
... we steamed about twenty miles through the night. Back then in the days of gas lamps it were quite exciting. It were near the end of the steam era and the fireman knew there were no future for him so he didn't give a monkey's and he gave me the job of firing the locomotive. I remember him saying to me, "It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you don't lose the shovel." It were really good fun and I finished up doing it lots and lots of times
Fred Dibnah[39]
He later became a steam enthusiast, befriending many of the engine drivers and firemen who worked on the nearby railway. As a teenager he met a driver who invited him onto the footplate of his locomotive and who asked him to keep the boiler supplied with fuel.[39] Dibnah became so enamoured with steam engines that he eventually looked for one he could buy. He learned of a steamroller kept in a barn near Warrington and which the owners had bought from Flintshire County Council. He had the boiler pressure-tested and, despite its being in poor condition, bought it for £175. He towed it to a friend's house, spent a fortnight making various repairs, and drove it to his mother's house in Bolton.
After he had married and bought his own property on Radcliffe New Road, he cut an access road to the garden of his new house and moved the steamroller there. Restoring the engine took many years, as Dibnah had to create his own replacement parts, using
Restoring the steamroller placed a heavy burden upon his marriage and Alison would often complain that her husband spent more time in the shed, repairing the engine, than he did in the house. He responded by naming the vehicle Alison, telling his wife "It's not every woman that has a steam engine named after her."[44] Alison eventually developed an affection for the antique vehicle, saying, "We've done without for so many years to get it built up. I couldn't bear to part with it. There's too much of us in it."[45]
His next purchase, made in the autumn of 1980,[46] was a 1912 Aveling & Porter traction engine. Dibnah paid a friend £2,300 for the vehicle and moved it to the garden behind his home. He built a steam-driven workshop in his garden, salvaging parts from various mills, including line shaft gear and a stationary engine from a mill in Oldham. He gave a conservative estimate of four years to complete the work, but the restoration eventually took 27 years.[47] The engine was sold at auction in July 2010 for £240,000.[48]
In 1988, he was asked by Caernarfon Council to make repairs to a chimney at Parc Glynllifon.[49] Beneath the chimney, an engine room contained an 1854 single-cylinder steam engine in poor condition. Dibnah repaired the chimney and several weeks later was asked to repair the engine, which he dismantled during the winter of 1988/89 and took back to Bolton.[49] With his assistant Neil Carney, he spent six months repairing the engine. The two sourced a replacement boiler from a local pork pie factory and re-installed the engine in Wales. Dibnah later won a prize for the quality of the restoration work.[50] He also spent about seven months restoring the boiler, engine and blunger at Wetheriggs Pottery near Penrith.[51]
Fame
Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack
In 1978, Dibnah was commissioned to make repairs to Bolton Town Hall. Decades of exposure to soot and rain had caused serious damage to the clock tower and Dibnah alerted the Clerk of Works to the condition of the 16 stone pillars at the top of the tower. He bought new stone, built a lathe in his workshop and created the replacement pillars. He was given the job of repairing the clock tower and he also gilded the golden sphere at the top of the building. While Dibnah was working from his bosun's chair, a public relations officer at the Town Hall informed Dibnah that BBC Look North West wanted to interview him. The following week, the film crew arrived and Alistair MacDonald conducted the interview from the top of the building, with Dibnah perched outside on his scaffolding.[52]
His warm and friendly manner combined with his enthusiasm and broad Lancashire accent proved popular and he was later contacted by producer Don Haworth, with a view to making a documentary. After several meetings over the course of a few weeks, filming began early one morning just as Dibnah had climbed to the top of a 245-foot (75 m) chimney at Shaw and Crompton, a mill town near Oldham. Sporadic filming took place over an 18-month period and captured Dibnah (with assistant Donald Paiton) working on a range of buildings, spending time with his family and enjoying his hobbies. Giulio Briccialdi's Carnival of Venice (performed by James Galway) was the music chosen to accompany Dibnah's work on Bolton Town Hall. One of the more notable aspects was Dibnah's 1979 demolition of a chimney in Rochdale. Standing only yards away from the base of the chimney as it began to collapse, his retreat to safety and subsequent boyish outburst of "Did you like that?" endeared him to viewers.[53][54]
Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack won the 1979
I've seen them from close-up and they're fantastic, great big stones perched two hundred feet up in the sky, covered in incredible carvings and all fitting perfectly, in an attempt to keep them up for ever. That's why I don't get much pleasure demolishing a chimney, when I think of those fellows manhandling tens of thousands of bricks and tons of mortar, to build the thing in the first place.
Fred Dibnah[58]
Several years later, Dibnah and his family went on holiday, to Blackpool. The trip was filmed for television and showed Dibnah's preference for working rather than holidaying. He did however manage to undertake the removal of a small chimney stack from a business in the town, under a distinctly grey sky and aided by his wife, Alison. His payment for the job was a new front plate for the boiler of his traction engine. Dibnah, however, refused to take any more holidays and, after 18 years of marriage, Alison booked and paid for a holiday to Greece, taking their three children (Jayne, Lorna and Caroline)[59] with her. Dibnah remained at home and was surprised when, upon her return, she asked for a divorce.[60]
One day in October 1985, Dibnah attended a solid fuel exhibition in nearby Bury. Upon his return he discovered that Alison had left the house, taking with her their three children, the dog and some items of furniture.[61] Short of money, he was forced to sell his antique AJS motorcycle.[60] He found life without his family difficult but defended his wife: "There is no doubt whatsoever, she were a good help to me and I'm going to miss her. It was just that all the pressure got too much for her."[62]
Second marriage
Dibnah met his second wife Susan Lorenz—a 28-year-old social worker[3]—at a steam rally in Cheshire. In The Fred Dibnah Story (1996) she recalled their first meeting: "He looked sad and miserable, quite a pathetic sort of figure really, none of the bounce that people knew him for."[63][full citation needed] He later invited her to a chimney felling in Oldham and then a talk he had been invited to give to a group of fans in Halifax, known as The Fred Dibnah Appreciation Society. Sue moved into Dibnah's home in Bolton and the two married on 27 February 1987.[3] She encouraged him to grow a moustache and also to give up smoking.[63]
Many of the chimneys around Bolton had now been either repaired, or demolished and so Dibnah was forced to travel further afield for work. He travelled to the
Later life
In 1996, Dibnah repaired the 262-foot (80 m) chimney at Barrow Bridge—the same chimney he had scaled for a bet, in his youth. He was also asked to install a
However, the strain of living with a man so dedicated to his hobbies began to take its toll on his wife:
Sometimes he'll have busted his thumb because he's hit it with a hammer; you couldn't really expect him then to come in and start doing things in the house. I just don't think it's fair though, I think you've got to strike a balance and I think ours is about 90/10. Me for 90 per cent of the housework and Fred for 10.[68]
Susan met another man and moved out, taking Roger with her and leaving Jack with Fred.[68]
She went away from here saying, "I don't want your antiques, I don't want your house, I don't want any money," [...] But what she did do was take my lads away from me and I can't forgive her for that.
— Fred Dibnah[69]
Third marriage
By 1997 Dibnah was living alone, with little work or money. Competition from Manchester had reduced his income from steeplejacking and filming for the BBC had dried up completely. He had, however, met Sheila Grundy, a former magician's assistant. She had arrived one day with her parents and young son to see Dibnah's back yard, and signed the visitor's book. The two remained in contact and became friends; they shared an interest in steam and Grundy was fascinated by Dibnah's tales of steeplejacking.[70] She and her son moved in with Dibnah in 1998 and the couple married on 26 September that year.[3][71] At their wedding reception in Bolton, Dibnah was surprised and moved to tears when his youngest daughter, Caroline, came to see him. Dibnah had had little contact with his daughters in the years since his divorce from Alison.[59]
Television presenting
In 1997, Dibnah met author David Hall. Hall had been raised in the Bradford district of Manchester and the two swapped tales of growing up in the latter half of the 20th century. Hall suggested that Dibnah would be unlikely to have any further television work commissioned on his life and that he should consider becoming a television presenter.[70] The two worked on new ideas for a programme that would show Dibnah touring the country, visiting important historical locations and speaking to the men involved in the maintenance and restoration of industrial machinery and architecture. The programme would also exploit Dibnah's working-class attitude and show him operating some of the machinery he visited.[72] Filming of Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age began in July 1998. The first location was near Bolton, at the Wet Earth Colliery and the crew then moved on to various locations around the country, continuing to film through the summer and autumn of 1998.[73]
The series achieved high viewing figures, with positive reviews, and the associated website became the second most-visited BBC website at the time. A complementary book was also published and was one of the top five best-selling history books of the year. Dibnah admitted he found speaking to a camera more nerve-racking than climbing a chimney,[74] but the success of Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age was a portent; he later presented several other television series. Before filming began for Fred Dibnah's Magnificent Monuments, he had installed his red ladders on the steeple at St Walburge's in Preston, ready for an inspection. With filming for television now taking up much of his time, however, he was unable to complete the job. He left the ladders at the church for several years and donated them to the tradesman who eventually took the job.[75]
Last years
In 2001, to mark the centenary of the death of Queen Victoria, the BBC transmitted a season of programmes based on a Victorian theme and Dibnah presented Fred Dibnah's Victorian Heroes. He had long been fascinated by the Victorians, especially Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who was his hero. During filming he visited a number of locations, including the 245-foot (75 m) high Clifton Suspension Bridge and the slipway for the SS Great Eastern.[76]
Illness
In early 2001, Dibnah was due to begin filming Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain, but suffered severe abdominal pains and was admitted to hospital for tests. He was discharged and began filming at locations around the country, including the
Filming for Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam began early in 2003, at the Trencherfield Mill, near Wigan Pier. The film crew visited a number of locations, including a steam rally in Cornwall and the Bluebell Railway in Sussex.[79] Dibnah was travelling around the country working on a subject that fascinated him, visiting old friends and making money from his hobby. The restoration of his traction engine was almost complete; later that year, however, Dibnah had another checkup at Christie Hospital and was told that a large tumour had been found on his bladder.[80]
Dig with Dibnah
Dibnah had another course of chemotherapy, but this time the treatment was unsuccessful. Undeterred, he began to dig a replica
The intention was to have a
Using traditional shaft-sinking techniques and the labour of mining friends Alf Molyneux and Jimmy Crooks, the shaft was sunk to a depth of 20 feet (6.1 m) and lined with brick. The work had been undertaken without planning permission and, when the council eventually found out what was happening, they insisted he apply for planning permission.[83]
Following the sale of Dibnah's property, the headgear was acquired by James Palmer of Hindley Green, a lifelong fan of Dibnah, for The Lancashire Mining Museum, where it stands today, funded by Stephen Eckersley .
Palmer says that the day he visited Dibnah's House to save the headgear from going to Cumbria was an important day for Dibnah's Legacy, as it should stay in Lancashire.
Palmer dismantled the headgear along with Fred fan and friend Jack Bracegirdle ready for transportation to the LMM.
Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain
Despite Dibnah's best efforts, planning permission was refused. Although he appealed against the decision,[84] a new series diverted his attention. At the end of 2003 production began for Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain. With his friend, Alf Molyneux, Dibnah would tour the country on his completed traction engine, visiting the workshops that still could produce the parts needed for his antique vehicle. His engine, however, was not yet complete and Dibnah's medical diagnosis was not good: he knew he had only a short time to live. His traction engine developed a serious fault, but with the help of friends, it was quickly repaired and its restoration completed.[85]
In December 2003, his traction engine was now in working order and planning for the new series commenced. Dibnah's illness necessitated that he sleep in hotels, rather than the living van the engine would tow during the trip. For the long distances between locations, the engine would be transported on the back of a low loader.[86] Dibnah's engine suffered early mechanical problems; it could barely tow the fully loaded living van uphill, as the cylinder had been placed very slightly closer to the footplate than it should have been. As a result of this, every time the piston was fully forward it covered the steam inlet port.[87] The engine was repaired, and with some minor repair work to one of the pistons, was brought up to full power. The team was joined by Dibnah's sons, Jack and Roger.[88]
The production crew made every effort to reduce Dibnah's workload. Changes were made to the filming schedule, to allow Dibnah more time to rest at home between filming days. The crew visited the Forth Road Bridge and Dibnah became the first man to drive a traction engine under its own steam across the bridge. Such pleasures provided a welcome distraction for Dibnah, who was by then ill and in pain. By the end of June, he was so ill, he could not continue filming. He was sent home to rest and given medication to alleviate his condition, so that he could collect his MBE.[89]
Filming continued at various locations around the country, with sons Jack and Roger, who had become essential members of the tour, providing much-needed support for their father. By the end of July, the crew had filmed only 34 days with Dibnah, out of a planned 60. It was becoming more difficult by the day for Dibnah to fulfil his filming duties and the crew decided to cut short the schedule. Once home, Dibnah decided to creosote the pithead gear in his garden, but fell and injured his back. He was adamant that he would continue filming, however, and made the trip to North Wales to complete filming. He later made a partial recovery and completed his last days filming at an Ironworks in Atherton.[90]
Honours
In mid-2000, Dibnah was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Technology for his achievement in engineering, by Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen,[91] and on 19 July 2004, he was made an honorary Doctor of the university by the University of Birmingham.[92]
I was slightly nervous shaking hands with the Queen. She asked me if I was still climbing chimneys. It beats me how she keeps tabs on everybody. I never thought I would be receiving an MBE.
Fred Dibnah[93]
Dibnah was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2004 New Year Honours for services to heritage and broadcasting.[94] He said "I'm looking forward to meeting the Queen but I shall probably have to get a new cap. And I'd like to meet Prince Charles because we share the same views about modern architecture."[95]
On 7 July 2004, Dibnah went to Buckingham Palace to receive his award from the Queen. He initially planned to drive his traction engine into the palace grounds, but was refused as the Royal Parks Agency feared that its weight would damage the surface of The Mall. Eventually, he was allowed to drive the engine to Wellington Barracks, a short distance from the palace. He collected his medal wearing morning dress and a top hat.[48][93]
Dibnah was the Castaway on Desert Island Discs on 1 December 1991.[96]
Death
Dibnah died on 6 November 2004, after suffering from cancer for three years.[97] He was 66 years old.[41][98]
Eleven days later, thousands of mourners watched as Dibnah's coffin (on top of which his trademark flat cap was placed) was towed through the centre of Bolton by his restored traction engine, driven by his son. A cortège of steam-powered vehicles followed, as the procession made its way to Bolton Parish Church. During the hour-long service, David Hall told the congregation "He wasn't a posh TV presenter. He was recognised as a working man who had learned through experience."[99] Following the service, led by the Vicar of Bolton, Canon Michael Williams (a friend of Dibnah), he was buried at Tonge Cemetery, behind his home.[100]
Dibnah changed his will two weeks before his death. He left everything, about £1 million, to his five children from two previous marriages. His last wife Sheila, who was 20 years his junior, subsequently applied to the
Legacy
Through his television work Dibnah became famous for felling chimneys (by the time of his death he had felled 90), although it was one of his least favourite jobs.[58] As he made more films with Don Haworth, his outspoken views on changing society, work ethics and delinquency, made him the embodiment of the views of many of his fans and epitomised the view of a northern working man.[103]
Dibnah was praised by many notable British people. After reporting on his death, television presenter Peter Sissons remarked: "They don't make them like that any more". Comedian Peter Kay said: "It's very sad news. He was one of a kind and now he has gone I think there will be no one else like him. He was enthusiastic about a way of life that has virtually disappeared now." Brian Tetlow, chairman of the Bolton and District Civic Trust, said: "He's unique, not just to Bolton but to Britain and the world. Our thoughts are with his wife and children."[104]
An 8-foot (2.4 m) bronze statue of Dibnah was unveiled by the Mayor of Bolton, in Bolton town centre, on 29 April 2008. The sculpture was created by Jane Robbins.[105] His home was converted into a heritage centre in 2010[106] but its contents were sold at auction in March 2018.[107]
A play titled The Demolition Man, based on his final years, was staged in 2011 at Bolton's Octagon Theatre.[108]
The life and times of Dibnah were celebrated by
The American rock band Tuff Sunshine released a song, "The Steeplejack" in 2019 that had been inspired by the 1979 BBC documentary Fred Dibnah: Steeplejack.[110]
Filmography
- Fred Dibnah: Steeplejack (1979)
- Fred (1982)
- Fred – A Disappearing World (1983)
- A Year with Fred (1987)
- A Year with Fred – New Horizons (1991)
- Fred Dibnah – Getting Steamed Up (1991)
- Life With Fred (1994)
- Fred Dibnah's The Ups and Downs of Chimneys (1994)
- Fred Dibnah's All Steamed Up (1994)
- Fred Dibnah Getting Steam Up (1995)
- The Fred Dibnah Story (1996)
- Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age (1999)
- Fred Dibnah's Magnificent Monuments (2000)
- Fred Dibnah's Victorian Heroes (2001)
- Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain (2002)
- Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam (2003)
- Dig with Dibnah (2004)
- A Tribute to Fred Dibnah (2004)
- Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain (2005)
- Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone (2006)
Notes
- ^ "BBC Two - Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone, Backstreet Mechanic".
- ^ Higgins, James (10 February 2007), "Fred Dibnah £1m will shock for widow Sheila", The Bolton News, retrieved 19 March 2018 (incorrectly reports death as November 2005)
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hayward 2008.
- ^ Haworth 1993, p. 12
- ^ "Submit your vote for the greatest Lancastrian". 14 August 2017.
- ^ McBain, Gayle (2 October 2013), "17 facts you didn't know about Fred Dibnah", The Bolton News, Bolton, retrieved 15 January 2019
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 3–4
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 6
- ^ a b Hall 2006, pp. 9–11
- ^ Haworth 1993, p. 16
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 8
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 23–24
- ^ Haworth 1993, p. 9
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 21–22
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 26
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 28–30
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 30–31
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 42–43
- ^ Haworth 1993, pp. 33–38
- ^ Haworth 1993, p. 8
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 45
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 46–47
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 34–38
- ^ Haworth 1993, p. 39
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 47–50
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 50–51
- ^ a b Hall 2006, pp. 58–61
- ^ Haworth 1993, p. 62
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 108
- ^ Haworth 1993, pp. 65–66
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 61–63
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 66–68
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 68
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 162–163
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 280
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 72
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 13–14
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 17–18
- ^ a b Hall 2006, p. 75
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 79–90
- ^ a b c "Fred Dibnah", The Times, London, 8 November 2004, archived from the original on 4 June 2011, retrieved 18 October 2009
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 96
- ^ Haworth 1993, p. 84
- ^ Haworth 1993, pp. 88–89
- ^ Haworth 1993, p. 89
- ^ Haworth 1993, p. 123
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 105–107
- ^ a b "Dibnah's engine sold for £240,000". BBC News. 25 July 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9542442-6-2
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 131–134
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 142
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 99–101
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 101–103
- ^ "Tribute to Fred Dibnah", Manchester Evening News, 8 November 2004, retrieved 28 October 2009
- ^ "Television Nominations 1979", Past Winners and Nominees, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1979, archived from the original on 15 January 2009, retrieved 19 October 2009
"Television | Documentary in 1980", Awards Database, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, retrieved 2 May 2019 - ^ Haworth 1993, p. 111
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 111
- ^ a b Hall 2006, p. 112
- ^ a b Hall 2006, p. 184
- ^ a b c Hall 2006, pp. 122–124
- ^ Haworth 1993, p. 133
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 124
- ^ a b The Fred Dibnah Story, BBC, 1985
- ^ Haworth 1993, p. 164
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 128–129
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 143
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 144
- ^ a b Hall 2006, p. 148
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 148–149
- ^ a b Hall 2006, pp. 153–158
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 182
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 158–159
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 169–181
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 187–188
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 196–197
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 207–210
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 212–216
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 232–234
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 241–248
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 250
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 251–253
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 259–262
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 266–267
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 270
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 272–276, p. 281
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 285–286
- ^ Hall 2006, p. 288
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 292–293
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 295–300
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 310–317
- ^ "Graduation Summer 2000", RGU News Article, Robert Gordon University, 3 August 2000, archived from the original on 27 September 2007, retrieved 20 October 2009
- ^ "Honorary Graduates July 2004" (PDF), Buzz, vol. 3, no. 47, The University of Birmingham, p. 2, July 2004, archived from the original (PDF) on 10 July 2007, retrieved 19 October 2009
- ^ a b "Fred's steam monster barred for his big day", Manchester Evening News, 8 July 2004, retrieved 30 October 2009
- ^ "No. 57155". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2003. p. 16.
- ^ "Fred Dibnah honoured", BBC News, 31 December 2003, retrieved 30 October 2009
- ^ "Desert Island Discs". BBC Sounds. BBC Radio 4. 1 December 1991. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ "Town says farewell to Fred Dibnah". Bolton Evening News. 8 November 2004. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2013 – via freddibnah.co.uk.
- ^ "Steeplejack Fred Dibnah dies at 66", The Independent, London, 7 November 2004, archived from the original on 31 January 2011, retrieved 30 October 2009
- ^ Bunyan, Nigel (17 November 2004), "Steam-powered funeral for Fred Dibnah", The Telegraph, London, retrieved 28 October 2009
- ^ "Steeplejack Dibnah laid to rest", BBC News, 16 November 2004, retrieved 29 October 2009
- ^ "I deserve something, says Dibnah wife left out of £1m will". standard.co.uk. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "Disinheritance and the law: why you can't leave your money to whoever you please". theguardian.com. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ Hall 2006, pp. 115–117
- ^ "No one quite like Fred...", Bolton Evening News, 8 November 2004, archived from the original on 18 July 2006, retrieved 19 October 2009 – via Famous Boltonians
- ^ "Dibnah tribute towers over town", BBC News, 29 April 2008, retrieved 30 October 2009
- ^ Powsney, Leon & Jan, "Win Fred's House!", The Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre, retrieved 3 May 2011
- ^ "Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre items sold at auction", BBC News, 18 March 2018, retrieved 18 March 2018
- ^ Hulme, Alan (11 April 2011), "News & Reviews: The Demolition Man", CityLife, archived from the original on 5 April 2012, retrieved 25 May 2011
- ^ Chaudhari, Saiqa (23 March 2016), "Life and times of Fred Dibnah celebrated by folk band The Lancashire Hotpots", The Bolton News, retrieved 17 March 2019
- ^ Tuff Sunshine (2 March 2019). "The Steeplejack". Tuff Sunshine. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
108 Fred's ladder makes an appearance on a chimney in Brass episode 13
References
- Hall, David (2006), Fred, Bantam Press, OL 7544298M
- Haworth, Don (1993), Did You Like That? Fred Dibnah in his own words, ISBN 0-563-36950-7
- Hayward, Anthony (January 2008). "Dibnah, Frederick [Fred]". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/94314. Retrieved 25 October 2009 – via oxforddnb.com. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
Further reading
- McEwen, Alan (2008). Fred Dibnah's Chimney Drops. Sledgehammer Engineering Press. ISBN 978-0-9532725-1-8.
- Langsten, Keith (September 2009). Fred Dibnah – A Tribute. ISBN 978-1-84563-115-4.
- "An Evening with Fred Dibnah". BBC News. 20 January 2003. Retrieved 24 April 2007.
- Barker, Dennis (8 November 2004). "Steeplejack who became a television celebrity". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
- Steeplejack by Fred Dibnah, 1983, Line One Publishing, ISBN 0 907036 17 1
- Steams On by Fred Dibnah with Peter Nicholson, 1984, Line One Publishing, ISBN 0 907036 20 1