Reply With QuoteOriginally Posted by magirus
R
Great post thanks Eddie, you can see those ladders flexing as he's climbing particularly those on the overhangs. I used to love watching his documentaries like this and his chimney demo work. Seem to recall he had a real passion for steam engines. One of those bygone people I would like to have met for a good old natter and banter.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
What Neil said, sad but true!
I remember my dad making me watch Fred's program when I was a nipper and we only had one TV in the house. I certainly appreciate the fella more nowadays :0
That is just astonishing; I note that The Fred Dibnah Story is available on Youtube so I'll probably spend the weekend inflicting a few episodes on SWMBO in the interest of cross-cultural studies.
Watching the scaffolding video it's apparent that, even without having anything that approximates to the physique of a strongman, he must have had some incredible upper-body strength. Years of training in a working men's club bar, no doubt.
Crikey! Fair play to the cameraman in the last video posted, up the top of the chimney with him prancing around on those unfastened planks...
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That's a man with a lot of ladders in his yard
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and with those ladders, SC access will soon be here.
Forty nine posts in a year. I wish some others were like him.
That's one to show the instructor at my next Safe Pass course
It’s been great to watch this again and to find that there is quite a lot of related material on Youtube. We will not see the like again.
One thing that puzzled me (this may be explained by the fact I watch the videos with the sound off): what did Fred do once he was up there in that first video - what work was needed up top?
I turned 37 yesterday and I have recently climbed ladders to approx half that height (with no overhang!) and you certainly know about it when you reach the top, fair play to him a fit guy and clearly very comfortable working at height, even with harness etc Id still struggle up there
Fred said he'd leave the ladders in place until his estimate was accepted (or rejected). It amuses me to think that the firm would be asking for their usual three estimates. Did they get a surveyor up there to check what needed to be done and that Fred's work was satisfactory?
Usually repointing as the previous mortar had eroded/weathered over the years, leaving the bricks loose and dangerous.
I remember my Dad telling me he used to speak to an old boy that had helped build the giant chimneys of the old Croydon B power station (now an Ikea)
He said as they got higher with the brickwork they would have to climb the ladders to the top and it was so windy up there that they had had to lay down on the top every morning until they got used to it and could carry on bricklaying.
This is what it looks like now.
Cheers,
Neil.
Wow, I just watched that and feel like I need to have a lie down for a while.
From watching most of the ladders were wooden but I don't think they are allowed now in case of failure?
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Wooden may be better for high stuff like that - what about lightning conductivity?
As an aside, if you are working on BR property all ladders must be wood.
Cheers,
Neil.
I was an FD of a company that provided access facilities which is a posh description of scaffolding and they hated wooden ladders as the rungs could fail under load. They always insisted on metal ladders as a consequence.
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Gone but not forgotten. A true legend in and after his own lifetime. I met several "Fred" characters when I lived "up North" and worked on the sites. I remember a labourer who dropped his jacket down an eighteen foot foulwater manhole. He shot down the manhole after it. We told him that he could get another jacket from the stores but he said that he needed to recover that one "Cause me sandwich is in the pocket"!
A friend of mine owned a scaffolding company and they always used the normal wooden scaffold style ladders. They are cheap enough to replace when they get a bit worn. Never heard of any rungs failing.
Metal ladders on metal scaffolding? Not good. They tend to slide laterally and dangerously far more than woods especially when damp.
Cheers,
Neil.
Christ that was a hard watch! From 3:40 I was bricking it for him.
Talk about Johnny Big-Bollocks!
I'm a huge fan of Fred, something so relaxing about watching his wonderful programmes. I've got most of them as box-sets.
Still, the videos in this thread give me sweaty palms...
In that first one, the amount of kit hanging off him must have been a serious pull as he climbed those overhangs.
So clever my foot fell off.
I have been aware of Fred Dibnah for several years, after all I married a Lancashire lass but when Eddie posted this thread last year it kicked off a renewed interest that has led to me watching upteenth hours of clips on youtube and the postie delivering various DVD box sets. I wish I had the provlege to have met this great character who is both inspiring and fascinating to watch and listen to.
Here's a video where Fred deomnstartes the laddering technique you have so eloquantly described. Incredible skills and ability to operate in such a dangerous situation with unwavering awareness. Amazing stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F04dGK1_wYA
Right at the end when he's fitting the corner boards, bloody hell.
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India mill I can see this from my house. Would love to go up it 😀
When I was an apprentice (Mastic Asphalt Roofer) I was sent to Barking Power Station. We were working on the roof (over a hundred feet) The Runner (supervisor) asked me to carry out a wheel and rope out onto a steel girder (8inches wide) and feed a wheel through an eye ring that hung from the bottom of the girder.Straight drop beneath.I refused as did the other men.
The runner was miffed and called us cowards.
He left the site only to return a couple of hours later with a Steeple Jack or Spiderman as we called them.
The guy was very Dibnahesq this was 1975.
He grabbed the rope dragged it with him and the wheel, walked out over the girder as though he was walking down the street. sat astride the girder. Fed the wheel onto the hook and then fed the rope through it.
Job done in about 5 minutes.
He got to his feet and walked back down the 5 yard steel. The runner gave him what looked to be £20.he kissed the notes looked at us and said roofers...***kers and made the accustomed sign with his hand.
Steeple jacks were/ are the toughest of tradesmen; they often drank in early houses around London to get up the courage often drunk at work. Hard men.
dear God!
i have no words - watched until 3:30 and came out in a cold sweat!
Spot on - especially with his other passion for machinery
I watched in awe - as well as nerves of steel, that took serious strength and stamina
Thanks for posting Eddie
Didn't Fred have a mini coal mine in his back garden? Or did I dream it? (He did have extensive workshops in his garden)
truly a great Briton.
He had both. Watch 'Dig with Dibnah' on Youtube and you can see he and his mates go about building a replica mine.
Last edited by mondie; 24th February 2017 at 22:11.
Really unbelievable. Thanks for posting.
Met Fred many times in my childhood as my dad dragged me round steam fairs all summer. Then, many years later, encountered a crowd watching a man up a chimney in Cambridge whilst at work. Was stunnedwhen he climbed down, swerved the Mayor and TV crew to come over and ask me how my dad was as he hadn't seen us for a while :-) Then invited me to join him for a pint (several) once I had finished work.
Lovely man, with a dirty sense of humour and matching flat cap :-)
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