Americans React to Fred Dibnah - British Steeplejack Takes Down a Massive Chimney 

Fred Dibnah is a true British Legend. He's from a time when there was no health and safety. It's sad that he passed 20 years ago now at the age of 66.

Fred Dibnah was such a legend, he didnt expect to be respected (like our celebrities of today), he earnt it.... the hard way. Such a true legend of the working class.

RIP died of cancer but carried on to the bitter end! absolute legend

I'm a Roofslater by trade and I've worked some silly heights in my time including the window cleaners type cradles on the high rise tower blocks. The cradles were the only thing that scared me as they swing side to side in any decent wind, but what that man did still terrifies me. He was so down to earth and humble, a real throwback to a bygone age and an absolute Gentleman. A remarkable man who is sorely missed. He probably built his own ladders when God took the fella to heaven. R.I.P Fred.💪😣

I'm a simple man. I see Fred Dibnah, I click. Practically a British institution unto himself, the late Fred Dibnah. "D'you like that?" is forever ingrained in my mind. In today's money, the £7000 he was paid for the job is a little over £44,000.

Loved watching Fred on the TV 📺, his passion for the old steam and traction engines was infectious, a generation much missed and a health and safety inspectors worst knightmare 😂😂

The "celebrities" make all the noise, but the world is full of people like Fred. Just down to earth hard workers.

Fred was a legend in his own life time. A true hardworking man. The British public liked watching Fred's programs. He was a super person with out a cape. R. I. P Fred Dibnah.

Fred was an absolute legend. The last of his type.

Can you imagine how many times he has to take apart the scaffolding and rebuild it as he's taking the chimney down, all by himself ....Absolute Legend

As the number of working chimneys diminished, Fred started branching out into showcasing Victorian building and engineering. In his steeplejacking career, he felled 90 chimneys with the last one being done back in 2004. The Boltonian in me likes to hear a proper accent as well.

Fred Dibnah was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2004 New Year Honours for services to heritage and broadcasting. 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." On 7 July 2004, Fred 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.

My dad met fred twice here in cornwall at bocconoc steam fair, One i beleive would be the early 90's where for the entire day he did not see him without an Ale/Beer and rollie (cigarette) in his hand the other time would of been the late 90's which i actually do remember and he was an utter joy just to talk to....But the strangest bit of all was he remembered my dad from the first meeting as my dad used to fix type writers for people and he was amazed by it...Utter legend...Both of em tbf...Cheers for the video and do carry on he's a UK great.

Fred was a real character. Reminded me of my Granddad. He loved his steam engines. A true legend.

He was an outstanding man ...and hes sadly missed ..he had an enormous amount of knowledge of buildings and masonry ..a true legend

Fred was also a skilled engineer. He rebuilt and restored an old traction engine and took it on a tour of the UK, visiting interesting places relating to engineering and the Industrial Revolution. He turned it into a great documentary series called 'Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain'. The episodes are on RU-vid.

What legend. Fred is a true great .national treasure

I used to see Fred when he took his traction engine to our local annual steam fair, most of the time you would find him in the beer tent. Great bloke 👍

Fred is a legend and I always go back to watch his videos. He got a calming voice and no sign of fear. He loved it

As I've said elsewhere, the U.S had the Space Program, and Britain had Fred and an infinite supply of ladders.

It was men like Fred Dibnah, in boiler suits, who built Britain and the US. It's people in smart suits who have wrecked both countries. Drones didn't exist then and I'm not sure there were any cranes that would a) go that high, and b) be available to rent at a price the BBC could afford. The cameraman was up there with him.

Fred is what we refer to as a National Treasure, the kind of man every boy/young man wishes was their Grandaddy, just a salt of the earth mans man! It was his character as much as his work that drew so many people to him. He personified the word Humble! RIP Fred 😊😊

I love how he has his lunch stood up after climbing up and down chimneys and knocking bricks all morning. What a legend he was

Always get a chuckle out of Fred and his cheese butty 😅 just a slice of cheese on buttered white bread. Classic working mans lunch 😋

Fred Dibnah was an amazing man. He was an expert on Victorian engineering and a restorer of steam engines. They used to get him in for precision demolitions where explosives could not be used and he used to fell the chimneys by hand and/or with fire. The demolitions were his least favourite part of his job as he never liked destroying these lovely old things.

Fred is a national treasure

A modern day equivalent of Fred, with a similar accent is Guy Martin, you should check out some of his projects. He's as mad as a box of frogs too!

I love your reactions! It's always a joy watching people watch Fred for the first time but yours is delightful. I'm old enough that I saw the very first episode when it first went out on BBC in the late 70s and saw him rise to National Treasure status.

Margaret Thatcher came into power in the year this was filmed in 1979, soon after a system began where people could buy social housing i.e. council owned houses, my Dad bought a 3 bedroom council house around 1979 for £6000, when my Dad passed away around 3 years ago I had to deal with his estate and the same house was valued at £150k but £210k if modernised, so basically he was paid enough to buy a 3 bedroom family home at the time. My Dad was a train driver and actually drove steam trains for a few years before they were replaced by diesel and electric, he absolutely loved Fred Dibnah, Fred owned a steam traction engine which was basically just a steam train for the roads, he made a series where he drove it around the UK, and during the series he had terminal cancer so it was a very emotional journey.

I remember watching loads of documentaries where he appreciated steam engines, both railway and other ones like early tractors or large stationary ones that operated mine machinery, it was absolutely fascinating and you could feel the passion he had for them. He's the perfect example of the handyman in his boiler suit and flat cap, and knew so much on a wide range of subjects.

The thing i loved about Fred was his passion for continuing and preserving the skills . Real salt of the earth man bless him . 😊

I am so glad you enjoyed that.Fred was a lovely man and his enthusiasm for all.He did really Ram through and made him very popular.Amongst the British people, he had a warmth and kindness of character that just shone.❤

Freds work ethic is something you dont see often today, he is an absolute legend

One of the beautiful things about Fred Dibmah, was that he didn't just marvel at the industrial prowess of the eras gone by, but he was truly proud of it and could show you its architectural beauty and its cultural amd historical significance from a small community right up to the global markets of the world. He appreciated not just the fuction of something like a water pump or a static engine but also the design of it, the sheer intellectual fortitude required to envisage a solution to a problem the world had never faced. Then to often make those things beautiful or ornate too. He restored and ran traction engines and had a good appreciation of the masonry and generation spanning building of cathedrals too. Any Brit should be very proud of their industrial heritage, as should any American or European brother. It is a pillar of who we are as a people.

It is crazy how effortless and fearless Fred carried out his work. I don't care how much anyone is paying me, but that I will not do. Respect to those in the trade.

In the UK someone like Fred would be referred to by some as a working class hero’. Admired by his type but by others too. He had great knowledge of engineering, history and architecture. I loved Fred, such a sad day when he passed. Awesome video, it’s nice to see Fred get recognition further afield from his own soil. ❤ on a previous video you watched Fred burn down a chimney. You only saw the final show. I think you mentioned ‘does he remove the bricks’. You were correct. As he cuts the brick away he inserts short, thick logs which are held with wedges. He does this in a wedge shape, until the chimney is supported by half brick and half wood. The fire destroys the integrity of the wood and the chimney collapses in the direction of the cut away wedge. The cut away brick is how he aimed where it was going to fall. He said it was the old fashioned way of doing it, but he preferred this way because he said it was safer and more predictable than explosives.

Fred Dibnah as a steam engine tv show going round the uk in it was a good watch :)

A man who appreciated quality engineering in all forms. From construction to de-construction Fred lived it with a passion, a true connoisseur.

You need to show Lindsey how Fred ladders the chimney's, and how he brings a chimney down from the bottom using fire.

Working at heights like that takes a bit of thought before you leave the ground, and you have to be switched on at all times while you are climbing, I used to work on radio communications towers, did for quite a few years, had all the relevant qualifications and did use harness gear, but that was usually only for while working, the climbing was usually done 'free'. Commonly worked on towers up to 54m (180ft), highest job was at 74m (250ft), strangest part is that I did (and still do) struggle climbing a ladder inside a building, but no problem out in the open?!?!?! Loved the job at the time, loved the different views from all the towers I worked on over the years, but no way the body could handle it now. Always big respect to the people who did things like Fred, his type are a dying breed.

When people say, "They don't make'em like they used to" I always think of Fred.

Respect to Mr. Dibnah! Thank you for posting this. Not all of humanity work in air conditioned offices, or, from home. The demise of responsibility for one's self is, for sure the responsibility of the office workers. Respect Fred, never forgotten.

There are so many DVD's available detailing Fred Dibnah's exploits. His demolitions using bonfires are particularly impressive. His skill in massive engineering is most notable. His knowledge of architecture is also worth mentioning.

Fred was a true legend. He was big in steam and engineering heritage as well.

I've seen this more than once but it's always worth a rewatch.

That was 20,000 bricks removed one at a time and it took him 5 months to do it.

My stepdad used to be a steel erector. He used to work on pylons back in the 70s/80s. Fred Dibnah was his hero - we used to panic when we saw him hanging around on pylons and scaffolding.

I got to know Fred in the early 1990s. We'd often meet in a huge reclamation yard in Widnes. Fred was a joiner by trade, as was I. And I was glad to help him resolve a problem he had with (IIRC) an old waterwheel he was involved in restoring, in or around Bristol. A terrific character, and an absolute legend of Northern English culture.

Fred is a legend, i was in a couple of mile traffic jam/tailback from alfriston to newhaven, turned out it was Fred and his bloody steam tractor and trailer, he was waving at all the traffic past him when he went into a layby at last and we all waved and beeped him back

Fred was an absolute legend. One of a kind. No fear. "a cup of tea cures everything"

love fred, he also built a mine shaft in his garden for fun great british legend

He was a VERY clever Man , his hand drawn victorian style plans were a sight to behold ! He was a real grafter ! RIP

Dibnah was a man born out of time, he born 100 years too late, and the world is a better place for him showing us the old ways.

Theres a video on here from the 60s of an interview with some steeplejacks and a bit about their trade "1965: Could YOU be a STEEPLEJACK? | Tonight | Classic BBC Clips | BBC Archive"

Fred Dibnah was a friend of my Grandad. They knew each other through their love of steam engines. Fred was a true legend, and as strong as an Ox. ✌️💙🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

Fred was a true British legend of his time. It makes me go weak at the knees just watching him working at those heights.

Back before the days of pesky health and safety rules....Fred just got on with it. Yes, he loved steam, and built a beautiful steam engine, he was also an excellent draughtsman,they'll never be his like again!

YES, it always gets me, when he climbs over the scaffold, hahaha!!!!

Fred dibnah was a total legend, I come from very close to where he was from (Bolton). The camera shots at the top were taken by a camera man who climbed up with all the gear on and filmed him. There is a statue to him in Bolton town centre. His programmes on Britain's industrial heritage are superb (I suggest watching them if you can) and he obviously loved every moment of making them. He was a fantastic draftsman too.

Red was a loveable rogue, he loved his steam engines. Sadly missed but his videos are here to keep us intertwined.

Great vid , Fred Dibnah was a legend and from my local area of Bolton , Lancashire, their is a statue of him in the town . I watched him as a a kid and didnt appreciate it ,now it makes my stomach do sumersaults seeing him at work !

What a legend he was! He has a special place in brits hearts

a real legend.

MyDad loved to watch these programs about Fred .

Poor fred didnt even live long enough to enjoy his retirement ,,what a guy 99,9 percent couldn't do it 😮

Fred Dibnah in addition to being a steeplejack who became famous through fly-on-the-wall documentaries was an engineering enthusiast, restorer of steam traction engines, and towards the end of his life also turned his hand to presenting history shows on the BBC. There's still a large following for Fred on a facebook fan group, where you may catch his nephew popping on occasionally.

Fred Dibnah was not only a national treasure he was a bloody genius.

I once had to photograph Fred demolishing a brickworks chimney. He cut a hole in the base, supported it with pit props then set fire to the wood. I asked him where best to get a series of shots with my motor drive as it came down. He said 'Stick the camera there (pointing to a spot), you should be alight'. True to his word the chimney fell towards me and the last brick rolled up to my front tripod leg. He said afterwards 'There told you so!' He later spent ages doing a drawing with beautiful calligraphy for my kids. A true gentleman.

My grandad has met him at a few steam rallies and had a pint with him,he’s one of my all time hero’s and as a tree worker he’s a real inspiration when it’s windy and dark he gives me that light

"Did you like that?" Fred Dibnah. Balls of steel.

Every few feet he knocks off, he has to reset the scaffolding. Mind blowing.

Fred was a national icon, it’s hard to state how big he was, especially in the 70s to 90s. You’ll love Guy Martin too I reckon

"By himself?" "He's got an assistant." That single exchange was the purest British humour I've ever heard from an American, that was beautiful.

He must have been strong as an ox to do that all day. Just watching him taking that chimey down with a bolster and club hammer is bad enough. Then you've got to climb down for your tea and sandwiches for lunch and climb up all over again. Amazing to think he did this for decades. Every step and every hand hold had to be perfect or its certain death. The mental strength required to do this day after day is incredible.

I remember back in the early 80s watching Fred on tv with my mum and dad and my dad, who was not great with heights, turning to my mum and saying “if that was my job I’d tell you not to bother getting my dinner ready until you saw me pull up in the drive way in the evening”

You have to go back to Cornwall again Steve for the inventor of The Stream Engine…… Trevithick (1771 - 1833) is credited with inventing the first high-pressure steam engine and the first operational steam locomotive at the turn of the 19th century. Trevithick was born in the mining district of Cornwall, England in 1771

A real life legend that was Fred Dibnah, R.I.P

This was in the late 1970s. Fred would have been in his early 40s (he was born in 1938) at the time. The camerman was on the staging with Fred. This was all before health and safety was taken very seriously despite such legislation being passed in 1974. He was also into steam engines. He once said that he was going to die in bed with his boots on. He wasn't far wrong.

Hi Steve & Lindsey, great reaction as always. I've watched Fred doing his chimney's at 200ft and 300ft, putting up the ladders, building the walkway, climbing over planks & overhangs over the last 50 years, and even knowing that he never slipped or fell I still feel that uneasyness & worry that somthing will happen. What a down to earth, hard working man, nay, a Legend. You need to watch him bringing down chimney's by digging out the bottom and using a fire pit, landing exactly where he say's it will. Steve, Show Lindsey 'Fred Dibnah How to climb a chimney overhang at 50+'. By the way his name Dibnah is pronounced Dibner. 🙂

Guy Martin (IOM TT legend) reminds me of Fred. Love both of them 💛

men like him made me soooo proud to be British. He was what we used to be but sadly are no more. It's heartbreaking looking back to what we used to be.

It was an absolute pleasure to see you learn a little, and appreciate the huge personality that was Fred. And he must have been just one of many men who were just as brave doing this job years ago.

Fred was from the next town to me...onlyn15 miles away....he's a true national treasure

People comment here about the lack of health and safety in Fred's line of work, and that is sort of true, but he wasn't just some fellah turning up off the street with a hammer and a destructive attitude. He was a professional specialist with insane engineering skills and techniques that kept him safe because he knew precisely what to do and how to do it coupled with decades of experience.

Could listen to Fred telling stories all day

Remember someone also built that brick by brick. Fred was a legend. He was into steam engines too.

Fred Dibnah legend they dont make people lke him any more he blows them up old school way

My cat is called Dibnah! He was from a rescue, named by the vet who found him. She had just been to a steam rally and was inspired by Fred…

Fred was my childhood hero. RIP good sir.

Loved your reactions to this & your appreciation of what he did & who he was. Thanks

Fred, gave the great honour to his first wife of calling his steam road roller after her !! A true northern legend, showing people doing jobs that still needed to be done.

I’ve definitely recommend Fred a few times. He’s legend, and a real British icon. The thing that’s changed is the method of demolition

I take my " pack-up" or locally called "snap" / lunch to work everyday too. And im from Yorkshire just like Mr Dibnah, my dad met him few times, that man is a real hero, wonderful human being. We folk from Yorkshire are big on watching our pennies.

I’ve met the cameraman that used to follow him up. Martin Lightening, He used to come in to the camera hire company I used to worked for. Great guy and awesome stories following Fred up Chimneys 😂

The cameraman on top with Fred must have nerves of steel.

The great Fred Dibnah. Steeplejack, Steam Train enthusiast and raconteur extraordinaire. A legend.

He did a few series later in life for tv about the industrial age and history. It was interesting to hear his practical take on it.

And of course as the chimney top gets demolished then Fred has to realign the platforms . . many times! What a man.

Fred was an extremely skilled and intelligent man

What a star that guy was