Fred Dibnah MBE (28 April 1938 – 6 November 2004), born in Bolton, Lancashire, was an English steeplejack, engineer and eccentric who became a television personality, a cult figure and, latterly, a national institution. He first became famous as a result of his profession as a steeplejack; although being a traditional repairer of tall buildings he also earned a reputation for chimney felling—mainly through a TV documentary by the BBC. Bolton has become famous for the soot and grime produced by the town's multitude of mill chimneys, but the decline of the cotton industry meant that many of the obsolete landmarks had to be demolished as the cost of maintaining them became prohibitive. Alongside his demolition work he also continued to work as a steeplejack. He has always maintained that, although most famous for demolishing chimneys, he preferred to preserve them. In 1978, at the age of 40, Dibnah came into the public eye when the BBC broadcast a short news item about his work on Bolton Town Hall. His warm, earthy manner combined with his endless enthusiasm and broad Bolton accent endeared him to viewers, and the BBC made a one hour documentary, Fred Dibnah: Steeplejack, the following year. Fred'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. He was also an enthusiastic steam fan and owned an Aveling & Porter traction engine built in 1912 (Reg No: TA2436), and an Aveling & Porter Steam Roller "Betsy", (Reg No: DM3079), built in 1910. This engine was initially named Alison after his first wife, but after the breakdown of his marriage, he renamed the engine Betsy after his mother, Dibnah's thinking being "Wives change but your mother will always be your mother." He had already assembled the wooden pithead gear, and was planning to sink a 70–100 ft (20–30 m) shaft below this into the hillside. At the bottom of the shaft, a horizontal tunnel would have led out to the steep side of the valley above which his garden sits. The intention was to have a narrow gauge railway running along the tunnel, back up the hillside on a rope-hauled inclined plane, returning to the pithead. The ultimate aim was to be able to demonstrate the basic working of an early colliery. Using traditional shaft-sinking techniques and the labour of mining friends, Alf Molyneux and Jimmy Crooks, the pit was constructed in the style of an 1870s colliery and its shaft was sunk to a depth of 20 feet. In 2004 the local council turned down Dibnah's planning application, and work on the project had to cease. Fred was awarded an MBE in the 2004 New Year's honours list. In Summer 2000 he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Technology for his achievement in engineering by Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of the University by the University of Birmingham on 19 July 2004. A life-sized bronze statue of Fred Dibnah was erected in Bolton town centre in 2008. Jane Robbins was commissioned to provide the sculpture; its unveiling took place on 29th April 2008 on what would have been Fred's 70th birthday.

Fred was the son of Frank and Betsy Dibnah (née Travis), who both worked at a bleach works. After leaving school he briefly attended art college, then worked as a joiner before being called up for National Service in the army with the 14th/20th King's Hussars, as keeper of the regiment's horses and hounds.

A YOUNG FRED WITH GRAHAM

Having mastered his trade repairing chimneys, Dibnah became aware of the demand for a cost-effective demolition method and offered to remove them without the need for explosives. His technique was to cut an ingress at the bottom of the chimney, support the brickwork with wooden props and then burn the props so that the chimney fell, hopefully in the intended direction.

 FRED IN HIS BACK YARD - HIS WORLD!

This featured Dibnah at work, both repairing and demolishing chimneys. Much of it was taken up by his monologue while climbing chimneys and spires, but the highlight was his demolition of a tall brick chimney, his running from the collapse, and his boyish glee at the spectacle.

FRED - NEVER AFRAID OF HARD WORK!

He also maintained a fully steam powered workshop in his back yard utilising old machines and tools otherwise destined for the scrapheap. On one occasion he remarked he always had steam up in his garden. In 2002, Fred began to dig a replica coal mine in the back garden of his Grade II listed house in Bolton.

FRED GETTING STEAM UP!

Fred Dibnah died on 6 November 2004, following a three-year battle with prostate cancer. Thousands of people lined the streets of Bolton on the day of his funeral as his coffin was taken through the town on the back of his favourite traction engine, driven by his son, with his steamroller, Betsy, following.

FRED NEXT TO HIS BELOVED BETSY

FRED'S LAST JOURNEY

REMEMBER FRED DIBNAH

THE FRED DIBNAH HERITAGE CENTRE