@@alphamale068 working on it !!! I regulalry terrify youngsters with tales of home made bosuns' chairs ( 2 foot plank off cut with a hole in middle with an old gym rope knotted through it ) and the like ... amazingly never heard of anyone getting killed ... tons of injuries though ... fell down the inside of a water tower safety ladder whilst painting the outside of the hoops ... that thing in films where they grab onto something and everythings ok ... nope same with catching someone thats falling ... been there point is ... hats off to fred , may he rest easy in front of a roaring firebox with an endless cuppa and a decent piece and ham I'm showing everyone this vid
I completely understand Fred's philosophy of working alone. It was a lonely job but any mistakes he only had himself to blame. I met him many times at 'Steam Dos' as he called them, there wasnt one ounce of fear in the man, I watch his videos and I have nightmares at night sometimes, that im up on one of those narrow boards and have to climb down! It makes my stomach turn just watching him up there. He was a grafter, a gentleman and a craftsman.....and there will never be another like him. I was honoured to have known him.
I met Fred Dibnah once at a steam fair. He treated me like an old mate, chatted without seeming like he wanted to get away, and in fact, I reckon if I’d have stayed he’d have chatted to me all day. A real man and a National treasure. Rest in peace Fred.
When he lays the corner slats loose near the end of the job, he isn't even tied to anything and has a cigarette on the go. Unreal! His accent is probably a dying part of northern English heritage as well. Great programme and a historical record.
I used to think this was pure madness, but I now admire the ingenuity, the methodical work involved and the mental and physical strengths most people (include myself) lack. Fred was an extraordinary human being. RIP.
@@Aerojet01 Its taken me years to realise the extent at which Fred was an utter bloody genius, I've no tv here nowadays but obviously youtube is crucial to this; as someone says above, an extraordinary human being. Consummate insight and ability at a task very few wld ever contemplate. Imagine the sheer hard effort and long days to get things done, he's done half a days work when some of us (me) have hardly got out of bed! RIP the great man !!!
Not just a legendary steeple jack he was a very good engineer both on paper and making that drawing come to life RIP Sir Fred Dibnah legend of the north.
I am from Slovenia, land of the highest chimney in Europe. I've stumbled upon "Fred" yesterday and I must say, I am far beyond words. Rest in peace Fred.
He just saunters up that ladder like it's a walk in the park..incredible stamina to climb a vertical ladder like that..what a man what a legend..Rest In Peace fred.x
Fred had nerves of steel. He was a skilled, tough and hard working steeplejack, who took on challenges that would be beyond most men. I never cease to wonder when I see these programmes as to Fred’s bravery. He should have been paid a king’s ransom for his work as well as his services to engineering! A marvellous and inspirational working man!
i am from germany and i watchin this stuff since 4 episodes and i like it... it is very comfy/relaxing film material. not like that crap of nowadays tv-"history"
Absolute legend. Not only did he do it so well .. he spoke about it so well. The production quality was outstanding too. I lean forward at the screen watching this ... shitting myself.
Same except my butt is clamped closed even more securely than those ladders are fixed to that chimney. I won't shit myself cos I'm too terrified to move a muscle.
Every safety officer and insurance man is having an aneurysm looking at this. Good man Fred! Nowadays there'd be a team of mountain climbers with all their gear and a separate team of scaffolders to do what Fred did alone. I admire him and he scares the bejayus out of me. Great video. Thanks for posting. RIP Fred.
When he said ''You feel the chimney moving in the wind'' i just freaking lost it. What a freaking legend of a man! Hanging from the top of a massive chimney without securing ropes, sitting on a plank secured to tied on ladders while using steel rods that he pinpoints into holes across the width of the chimney. I dont think ive seen a feat of strength that made me feel at awe but this clip just made me utterly and madly impressed! I can feel my palms sweating just watching.
Fred was a customer and friend of my dad's back in Bolton. I remember how I used to feel bored rigid as a know-it-all teenager, as he waffled on about chimneys and Victorian this and that. Having watched this as an adult, I will never think of him as anything except a big-balled Boltonian legend! RIP Fred... sorry for all my stifled yawns as a teenager
Blah blah blah 😑 Just like everyone’s grandad was chilling with the krays in the east end and everyone’s nana sucked them off back of the west end clubs stfu
@@gooner49life40 not really joker. In those days bolton was quite a small place compared to today. All trades people had a small amount of places you would go for materials such as timber. Steel. Bolts etc so everyone in various trades always bumped into each other. You can't really compare tradesmen with underworld gangsters can you. Fred worked everywhere in and around Bolton. Not just on chimneys but on churches etc so lots of people knew him and in those days he wasn't a celebrity just a normal working guy earning a crust
A master stack hand. I worked with a now retired boilermaker who reminds me so much of this gentleman. He is now 86. I started at 22 helping him. I’m now 61. He worked on stacks so high the choppers bringing structure up emerged from the fog below into brilliant sunshine above. The most fearless man I’ve worked with. I went over the side of an old hydro electric dam in a bolson chair to weld some test fittings to the face. It wasn’t the height but that black-green water swirling below. But one has to trust your ropes. That dam from the late 1800’s flood gates had water spraying from ever possible seem. Eight inch planks between you and countless millions of gallons.
Just HOW did Fred do all of this ! Putting scaffolding together like he did never mind all of the climbing and getting all of the materials up there, Fred deserved to be a millionaire for the skill and knowledge that he had, god bless him.
Yes, I sincerely wish the money had been better, I bet the bastards still beat him down on price .... NO-ONE starting again cld do what he did. RIP Fred, one of a kind.
@@johnlocke1977 you can't be serious?....Fred Dibnah came from a working class background who needed to work to survive, and was a very humble man, not some former motorcycle racer turned TV presenter who has never did an honest days work in his life. You couldn't be anymore wrong thinking these two people are alike.
You are they both are similar but in different ways. Both working men,Guy tyre fitter/mechanic (racing is his passion/hobby crap money that’s why you need sponsorship.,both life threatening.Both ended up as tv presenters. Both family men both from up north,well from me that is.
I had to laugh when I first saw him building the ladder with bits of string ... Rumour has it that Chris Bonington got to the top of Everest and read “ Fred Was Ere “ in the snow
I used to be a scaffolder...and watching Fred climb that ladder makes me dizzy lol. Had the privilege meeting the man 30 odd years ago, very very interesting man to talk too..
Holding a 16’ plank with one hand placing in across the beams while dangling from a rope. Most people could not do that with two hands standing on the ground. What a fearless man.
Fred: what a genius, legend, and nutcase he was. I had forgotten what a stupendously brave man he was, on top of being a top notch engineer. Great stuff.
I showed this to my grandfather who was a roofer his entire life and he said that this man has to be the most confident and funny man he has ever seen. He really enjoyed all his little jokes.
benny woo they are loads of people like Fred in his time all over the world that’s how it was done 🐅...not like the little pussy of today a house roof is not even high.
I remember watching this first time round and it turns my stomach just as much now, I don’t know how people have the nerve to cope with it. Look at stuff like this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VEyofVMEzmA.html
Skill Builder I know, looking at all the staging at the end the amount of work he did was immense. Doing it on the ground is one thing but having the balls and strength to do it in the air is something else.
Damn right! No rails round the outside and less than 2 ft of planking to work on, madness. I've worked with tree surgeon's who have a similar disregard for height. I have immense admiration for these blokes; I'm bricking it up a 20ft ladder.
I can see the chimney that Fred did from my bedroom window here in Cambridge on the old pumping station at riverside ( it is very high). He fiitted anti lightning rods bi laterally to the top. He has balls of steel and they are still standing strong. A true proper Englishman of the best sort :-)
Not only must Fred of had immense physical strength for such a small bloke, he must of been mentally as tough as nails. Its hard to fathom how any human being could take on such a massive task with such very basic tools and equipment. Hes basically got nothing more than some ladders, rope, wood and iron pins. He was clearly a master of what he did.
@@lindabingham394 I am from Darwen where this chimney is for India Cotton Mill. I was born and bred in Darwen since the 60s and for us Fred was Jesus I see this Tower daily where my 2 uncles from Pakistan worked in the cotton mills. Yorkshire men are built of rocks. I would have loved to work with him. I am impressed as a woman you be brave enough to climb ladders.
“There’s not many folk who get to experience being up there on a windy day and feeling the chimney sway a few inches back and forth” that’s because there’s not many folk with balls as big as yours Fred
I’ve watched this many times and still can’t believe my eyes how he navigates his way round the chimney with those rods and planks with out a care🙈he really was a one-off .r.I.p Fred ✌🏻
What a hard working guy 👍🏻 someone that Britain can be very proud of.did things his way.unbelievable watching him erect those ladders to the top of those chimneys.and as for his scaffolding.just remarkable 😱 you were a one off Fred....R.I.P
only an englishman can put up a stupid scaffold like that around a chimney, i know a little bit about chimneys, worked on chimneys from 1957 till 2010 on chimneys on 2 continents.what a clown and a show off
Unbelievable stuff. I have to believe there is even 1 person in a million who could do this kind of physically demanding work and especially at such dangerous heights, and yet there he is, probably not fazed by the task and wondering at all the fuss. I often look at these feats of construction and wonder how they're done, now I start to appreciate what's involved. I Hope whoever is paying Fred realizes he's getting a bargain at any price!
Well could be worse you see. Some might argue that it's better to have half a day with the undertaker and a week with the Grim Reaper than half an hour with the wife and a weekend with your mother-in-law.
Fred was an incredible skilful and tough steeplejack who took the ultimate risks to earn a living. He was a unique character who symbolised the values of hard work. Very few people could have done the steeplejack work which Fred performed. I still marvel at his stamina and courage.
Watching this clip in absolute awe. - If only more people of my generation and younger, had an iota of the bravery, strength and work-ethic that this man had.
Assuming I had the balls to do it in the first place, my arms and legs would be pure knackered by the time I got a quarter of the way up there, he just strolls up there like he is out for a walk in the country, PURE RESPECT.
Duncan Irvine we would climb 200ft silos and some of the old/ out of shape guys would have to stop 3 or 4 times and take a breather. One guy got up there and locked up, couldnt move, had to get the fire department to come get em down.
What a lovely film. Fred D was a hard working man of courage. Each mistake could be his last, and he knew it. Bolton is an amazing place, and has raised some marvellous people.Kudos to the North West. Thank you for uploading this beauty. R.I.P Fred.
Nice to see the comments here about Fred and how amazing the guy was. I know he belongs to a different era but it was my lifetime. Reminds me a little about how John Noaks climed up Nelson's column for Blue Peter without any safety harness. Fred could do that in his sleep.
To see how relaxed he is kneeling on that plank 150' up in that wind, he was made of sterner stuff, knowing the weight of those boards, the way he handles them across the void and manages to lay them spot on across his batten is positively awe inspiring, and when you think everything is held on with a few iron holdfasts driven in to a wood plug in a chisseled hole he made with a lump hammer, he has tremendous faith in his own skills, we shall not see the like again, Fred was in the mould of the men who built those chimneys...
Imagine It's your last day at school and you're looking for a job, dad says don't worry son I know this bloke Fred who's looking for an apprentice...….
Takes incredible strength and endurance to hold those long boards and rods extended out like that, and hes doing it mostly with 1 arm, while the other holds to the ladder. Even light weight things are troublesome.
Apartently he did get MBE.... Sure it was deserved, but I'm not sure why everyone in the comments thinks that everyman who has a hands on job deserves a knighthood for it 🙈
@@John...44... your right he was awarded a MBE but your missing my point . The MBE doesn't make you a sir unlike Mick Jagger Elton John Paul McCartney Bobby Charlton or was this lot more deserving.PS in my view it should be scrapped unless it involves bravery or charitable deeds .
@@michaelmoran9399 but mbe's and knithoods etc are not just for bravary and whatever. They are for people who have done great thing for the country in their related field. So footballers and singers do deserve them because that is what the honours are there for... And although I like Fred very much and admire what I have seen on the TV and don't think he is more deserved of the honour anymore than the footballers or singers
The think that amazes me about Fred is that he was so damned humble. Watching him on that stack and doing everything so casual is gobsmacking. I can’t fix my eyes on it for long cause it makes me feel faint. A real Superman. He could have been a top stuntman in another life.
Even in my fearless younger days when I first saw this guy I was in awe at his bravery.No way could I have done this at that kind of height.His skills were amazing.
It’s tragic that Fred’s legacy wasn’t managed correctly. The house, the engines, all of it was just heartbreaking to see. Watching this video reminds one of how special Fred was, and it’s such a shame his work and contribution to society wasn’t captured properly. Last I saw, a local businessman was offering individual rooms out in his family house for rent to small businesses, after Leon had his play with it all.
I am American and only know him from videos and it is clear he was a good honest hard working man. I work in construction and did some crazy stuff but nothing like what he did. He must have had ice water in his veins.
Iv done my share of big (140ft) trees and theyre widow makers, I admire fred so much he is and was the last of the Brunel s going , great victorian britons. Not much in they way of hse but just common sense. I had the blessing of meeting him before he went on and he was a fucking awsome , genuine legend. Great guy Hopefully fred doing my awkward, tall and dangerous trees I don't see you to soon All the best chris
chris like you fred was one of my heros was in the building trade for 50yrs up ladders scaffold cradels and could not do what fred did i get a nose bleed just watching him going up them ladders
Well done, Fred. No nonsense, no frills, no political correctness (thank goodness) just common sense and hard work. A real master at work. Bet any elf n safety fanatic would have kittens watching this - and nobody got hurt! Brilliant Bolton down to earth attitude. He is missed.
how many died building something like the Forth road bridge in the late 50s/early 60s despite working in very high winds, at very high heights and no plastic hats or harnesses? I'll tell you, four, in a collapsed building on land. H&S is all too eager to shift responsibility away from the vulnerable yet absolve poor behaviour/work patterns because someone wasn't wearing X, when in fact it would never have happened if the other person was actually doing Y. H&S professionals understand that PPE is the very last thing you look at and even then it's rarely effective because of risk compensation. This is why Dibnah and others who didn't go in for taking risks because they thought they were protected by 'safety aids' and took their time to understand risk didn't have 'half a day owt wi' undertaker'
So pleased I found these videos. I watched Fred and his series on TV all those years ago and it still gives me the colly wobbles to see this absolute master at his trade. Does anyone do this type of thing now? Whoever does, they are very, very brave and I think Fred must have had nerves of steel. Great skill and great entertainer, possibly never see his like again....
Seeing a lot of comments about the height etc. Fred’s a legend. I’m a joiner, Scotland. Being doing it 26 years now. You actually get that used to being at height that it doesn’t bother you. Try walk along a kerb, easy. Do it at height? Fear keeps you alive ironically
Climbing up a 200ft vertical ladder is a physical challenge . Fred would do it smoking a Capstan then scout out the nearest pub when he reached the top .
Fred..complete athalete. He had the lot..strength..balance.grace..knowledge.fearless....and balls everyman would want.....plus a cig..tea....as his break....brilliant...
I used to work at height on masts and often had to free climb with equipment up to heights of 300 ft (approx 100m). The highest I ever free climbed was 750 ft, just over 230m. During training we climbed on old WW2 wooden lattice masts that were of 1930's vintage and constructed to hold the old RAF 'Chain Home' radar system. That was pretty scary, you could look down and see the old grass covered craters where the Luftwaffe had tried to bomb it. When we qualified we were sent out to our operational areas and I remember my first climb being only about 30 ft up. I was absolutely terrified and hung on for grim death. Within a few months of daily climbing, both at night as well as during the day time, I was soon climbing up and down the masts and working away unrestrained at heights, walking across the beams with no harness, no problem. You get used to it and the height no longer scares you. However, looking at this and knowing what it feels like to be at height, this scares the crap out of me. We worked on steel masts, secure, solid structures with lots of cross beams to hang on to. This chap is swaying in the wind and making his own rickety platforms which he is relying on to save his life. I know they're secure, I know he was a legend and very safety conscious for the age, but just, no, no thank you. My hat goes off to him, he truly did have balls of steel and I have a great appreciation for the difficulties he faced. I really do admire him.
That last bit where Fred's getting off the platform makes me go cold and I don't mind heights. Incredible man and a massive heart just to take a job like that on.
There were likely many Fred's before, however they have been lost to history. The fact Fred was brought into the spot light was sheer coincidence as BBC just randomly decided to do a small documentary on steeplejacks which he featured in. If they never did this, Fred would have still did his thing, and hardly anyone would be aware of his existence.
To think when he's got a ladder from the ground all the way up a chimney, he then has to go round the other side of the chimney and do it again. Legend.
@TheFallsCapone you only know hi from the tele....if you know what hes like in person you wouldn't talk through your arse with stupid comments trying to pretend you are clever
A remarkable man who was without doubt one of the Greatest men to ever come out of this Country, his courage and knowledge was something else, a very unique man who will never be matched.
This is some fascinating work that I could never touch because I have a 32-foot step ladder that is about 10 ft taller and I ever want to go.. it's always great to watch a true Craftsman at work and this man is no doubt about it a true craftsman. I don't know how or you get into being comfortable at those heights dangling from a few ropes on a little rickety-looking router. Incredible work.
