Fred Dibnah How to climb a chimney overhang at 50+

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  • čas přidán 9. 01. 2008
  • Fred Dibnah How to climb a chimney overhang at 50+

Komentáře • 8K

  • @danpearce4547
    @danpearce4547 Před 3 lety +4804

    The U.S had the space programme, the U.K had Fred Dibnah and an infinite supply of ladders.

    • @sukottora
      @sukottora Před 3 lety +118

      Haha! That made me laugh out loud.. Which scared the dog.

    • @danpearce4547
      @danpearce4547 Před 3 lety +37

      @@sukottora Sorry dog.

    • @UKBamber
      @UKBamber Před 3 lety +58

      @Dan Pearce You are today's winner on the internet for that comment.

    • @TheHarrip
      @TheHarrip Před 3 lety +26

      Yea that proper made me laugh 👍

    • @CameTo
      @CameTo Před 3 lety +71

      Irony being, one really happened, the other didn't.

  • @choppy249
    @choppy249 Před 4 lety +4685

    I was a rooftiler for nigh on 30 years and have been up and down ladders for most of my life , sometimes in pretty scary circumstances with no scaffolding and up to six storey buildings as well but what Fred used to do just amazes me . I could never have done the extreme stuff he did and I like heights too . The man was just amazing . He was so confident in his ability , such a competent man . I can’t get over the way he used to walk along those single scaffold boards bowing like crazy in the middle at the top of a chimney he was cleaning or taking down brick by brick. Those flipping boards snap and break in two sometimes when they are not fully supported in the middle . I know ,it’s happened to me a few times when I have been only 25 feet or so off the ground . It gives me a chill even now just looking at the old footage of him romping around atop those old chimneys . Nerves of steel that man had and buckets of courage . It’s such a shame he got paid a relative pittance for the highly dangerous work he did . One tiny mistake or error of judgement or even an unexpected gust of wind or a dodgy loose brick and it would have meant sudden death . The fact that he lasted so long in his profession unscathed is a testament to his skill , courage and ability . There will never be anybody quite like Fred Dibnah again .

    • @jackscott6395
      @jackscott6395 Před 3 lety +84

      I think the closest thing we have now is Guy Martin who cant hold a candle 🕯 to him but has that same feeling

    • @henman2445
      @henman2445 Před 3 lety +26

      No one asked pal

    • @jackscott6395
      @jackscott6395 Před 3 lety +60

      @xwyttuucalm down pal why don't you relax a bit, have yourself a bud

    • @henman2445
      @henman2445 Před 3 lety +7

      @xwyttuu your life is out dated 'sunny jim'

    • @AdotHowe
      @AdotHowe Před 3 lety +87

      HeN MaN jog on you useless troll

  • @DazzaBo
    @DazzaBo Před 8 měsíci +238

    No matter how many times I've watched this it never fails to make my palms sweat

    • @danbrooks3697
      @danbrooks3697 Před 5 měsíci +7

      Terrifying

    • @leenelson65
      @leenelson65 Před 3 měsíci +1

      Dude my whole body is sweating!!!

    • @Jack-tn2qz
      @Jack-tn2qz Před 3 měsíci +2

      I feel like falling watching it 😢😂

    • @SLOCLMBR
      @SLOCLMBR Před měsícem +1

      I climb trees for a living, and this man is an absolute animal.

    • @rolfnilsen6385
      @rolfnilsen6385 Před měsícem

      I used to do rock climbing and even som bigger walls. This makes my palms sweat as well. The stamina, and head, of Fred was something special.

  • @ronalddecesaris6115
    @ronalddecesaris6115 Před měsícem +5

    My knees start knocking just looking at this fearless guy
    He’s amazing

  • @yogibeer9319
    @yogibeer9319 Před 4 lety +829

    In my opinion Fred Dibnah was one of the coolest men who ever lived.

    • @manofkentcatapultsgunsando5069
      @manofkentcatapultsgunsando5069 Před 4 lety +11

      Yea. Ill go with that.

    • @manofkentcatapultsgunsando5069
      @manofkentcatapultsgunsando5069 Před 4 lety +14

      @@pentatonicpaddy He died years ago of cancer.

    • @manofkentcatapultsgunsando5069
      @manofkentcatapultsgunsando5069 Před 4 lety +34

      @@pentatonicpaddy oh i get it. He was one hell of a man though. Balls of British steel and a top class engineer as well. Dont make em like him anymore. Happy Christmas.

    • @turbo682
      @turbo682 Před 4 lety +11

      Yeah he used to punch his wives up and neglect his kids but yakno..

    • @iRaps1
      @iRaps1 Před 4 lety +9

      If we're being honest here, some of the greatest men who ever lived would probably be people who actually changed the lives of millions of people for the better. Someone who had any impact instead of someone who climbed ladders really well.
      ...

  • @jonbrowne8334
    @jonbrowne8334 Před 2 lety +1003

    When I was a young teenager in the U.K., I rang Fred because his number was not obscured. His wife answered and put me onto Fred who was more than happy to speak with me. This must have been about 1982 and I was so pleased we spoke! Not a word of a lie! He was a legend and God bless him RIP Fred

    • @jackweiss3546
      @jackweiss3546 Před 2 lety +10

      Just didn’t happen Why are you lying

    • @jamst123
      @jamst123 Před 2 lety +124

      @@jackweiss3546 why would someone lie? The number was plastered all over his land rovers on tv

    • @jackweiss3546
      @jackweiss3546 Před 2 lety +7

      @@jamst123 it’s very sad that people feel the need to lie about such Menial stuff. Sort your life out pal.

    • @jackweiss3546
      @jackweiss3546 Před 2 lety +2

      @Steve Ruddick no one asked you Steve. Thanks for your input. You know whare you can stick it

    • @jackweiss3546
      @jackweiss3546 Před 2 lety +3

      @Steve Ruddick well he commented on a public video, spouting a story that clearly is not true. And it is my duty as the bullshit detector to call him out on that.

  • @mickwalsh8136
    @mickwalsh8136 Před rokem +116

    When I was 16,59 now,my first job was on demolition of a factory in Oldham, near Manchester England, Fred came on to demolish the chimney,by knocking holes in the base putting in big timber supports ,then setting fire to them so when they burnt the chimney had no support and down it came,just when the critical time came he ran round blaring a hand held horn,awesome memory,ahhh the good old days

    • @CEO786
      @CEO786 Před 3 měsíci +10

      I remember that day as well like it was yesterday. ❤

    • @inhaletimetimeinhale2519
      @inhaletimetimeinhale2519 Před 2 měsíci

      o yeh i fucked him out back behind that brick stack that day too. were gay

    • @AndrewSteffenHB
      @AndrewSteffenHB Před měsícem +3

      I also remember, what a day for everyone here

    • @MrPnew1
      @MrPnew1 Před měsícem +3

      Thanks for that information. I saw him lighting the fire but didn't realise that he propped it up with timber and that the fire burnt through the timber and that's why the chimney collapsed. I obviously wasn't paying enough attention.

    • @mattwinstanley2544
      @mattwinstanley2544 Před 4 dny +1

      This sounds like Era Mill and Moss Mill chimneys which Fred dismantled around 1979 which matches up with your age and it being 44 years ago.
      However, those mills were located off Woodbine Street East in Rochdale, rather than Oldham, so maybe it was another chimney project in Oldham you refer to.
      However, Woodbine St East is just off Oldham Road and not too far from the border of Rochdale-Oldham.
      Do those Mills ring a bell? There was a third mill very close by too “State Mill”
      Fred was paid £500 for the big chimney (moss) and £400 for the little one (era) I believe.

  • @davidrobertson5700
    @davidrobertson5700 Před 8 měsíci +18

    Thank you Fred, we all still love you from the whole Nation.
    Lots of love from
    Great Britain 🇬🇧

  • @antonyalderson6271
    @antonyalderson6271 Před 6 lety +1719

    This chimney is India Mill in Darwen. We inspected it a few years back and repaired a lot of lead and brickwork. We did with rope access - with 2 ropes attached at all times to your harness. And I can tell you, even with the ropes it was terrifying at first - incredibly exposed - so god knows how Fred keeps his head without ropes! No margin for failure whatsoever. I even abseiled to Harry Holden's ledge - his name is carved into the stone there! And it's not buzzards who nest there now - there's a female peregrine falcon who gets very upset when you approach her nest (of course we went outside of nesting season!)

    • @lomparti
      @lomparti Před 5 lety +22

      @glynnejones1 British Asian? Whats that?

    • @stoicmgtow5867
      @stoicmgtow5867 Před 5 lety +27

      @@lomparti Muslim.

    • @jasonsmizer5431
      @jasonsmizer5431 Před 5 lety +14

      What was this building used for and why is it so much bigger then everything else around it?

    • @j_f_kyoushallnotbeforgotte2191
      @j_f_kyoushallnotbeforgotte2191 Před 5 lety +3

      And you meet superman too

    • @martinid2514
      @martinid2514 Před 5 lety +16

      I met my ex girlfriend at the house literally next door many years ago we used to go drinking at the base of that old chimney we always wondered what it would be like at the top

  • @yamabushi170
    @yamabushi170 Před 8 lety +1477

    It's a shame that Fred Dibnah is best remembered for his demolition work on chimneys. This was a job he undertook reluctantly. His enthusiasm for and knowledge of Victorian engineering and construction was probably unparalleled during his lifetime. Additionally he was a very skilled draftsman, and his illustrations really were things of artistic beauty. We rarely get to witness so much talent in a single person, and we are lucky that Fred Dibnah was around at a time before Television became so highly commercialised and commoditised as it is now. He leaves behind a remarkable legacy of workmanship and knowledge, and we are a richer society for that.

    • @SJM6791
      @SJM6791 Před 6 lety +23

      yamabushi170-Very well said my friend.

    • @oddities-whatnot
      @oddities-whatnot Před 6 lety +19

      yamabushi170 Thats a very nice comment you have posted. Very well said indeed.

    • @ryanessex7978
      @ryanessex7978 Před 6 lety +12

      Well said

    • @StonyRC
      @StonyRC Před 6 lety +21

      Back off you ignoramus - you may not like what he said but he has every right to state his opinion. Even Dear Fred himself acknowledged his shortcomings as a husband and his tendency to place his work and his steam engines above his role as father and husband. That does not, however, detract from the simple fact that Fred Dibnah was a fine son of Bolton, from an earlier and better time and a Great Briton. Even soft southern pansys like me consider him the finest example of a true working man! Your comments do NOTHING to defend his honor and his legacy.

    • @garyhardman8369
      @garyhardman8369 Před 6 lety +7

      Agreed. Fred was a super skilled engineer, using steam power.

  • @DrCrabfingers
    @DrCrabfingers Před 13 dny +2

    Sweat pouring out of my palms, and my legs have gone watching this. That man......if this was all he did, he would be a legend, but he did way way more.......a huge knowledge of engineering, master draughtsman, historian, contructed a working coalmine in his back garden, traction engine renovator....and tv presenter. He must have been incredibly fit....his core strength is phenomenal. All those years of working with sooty bricks, oil, grease and coal dust did for him....for Fred, eating a sandwich with black coal dust hands was normal. Health and Safety was unheard of....and it cost him his life through bladder cancer. A really extraordinary life. Had this series of tv programmes not bought him to a wider audience, his extraordinary life and knowledge may never have been appreciated by anyone outside Bolton. His love of Industrial Britain and his fearlessness help to define why Britain became the global hub it was....a truly extraordinary man.

  • @lex4089
    @lex4089 Před 7 měsíci +40

    Fred was, and will always be, a legend. A simple guy with poetry in his soul and the constitution of an ox.

  • @davey3765
    @davey3765 Před 2 lety +1117

    Former tower climber here, highest I've climbed is 850' (feet) or ~259 meters. Watching this guy sends chills down my spine. He climbed that entire chimney without any safety harness. On top of that - the thing that scares me the most are any type of over hang. Those are my biggest fears because how easily your feet can slip. Watching Fred do this without a harness freaks me out and sends chills down my legs.

    • @georgedavidson957
      @georgedavidson957 Před 2 lety +72

      have parachuted and climbed for fun ... sitting on my computer chair watching this is giving me vertigo! glad its not just me who feels this way.

    • @lt4324
      @lt4324 Před 2 lety +52

      What's amazing is the way he climbed the ladders at the overhang!
      That itself takes strength IMO, a ladder tilting in the opposite direction with no gear!
      I know many old timers who do something close to this and they are so fit at their age its unbelievable!
      My Unc Mike is 75 and he climbs like he is 20 years old! My unc will out live me possibly, LOL. I'm 61 and out of shape, well not really, I am shaped like a pear! LOL

    • @reubensandwich9249
      @reubensandwich9249 Před 2 lety +20

      The vertical ladder is secure, the overhang ladders deflect every step he took.

    • @Baneslayer
      @Baneslayer Před 2 lety +72

      Firefighter here who climbs aerial ladders with huge gaps in the rungs 7 stories up..... I shit my pants watching this guy Fred... his balls are much bigger than mine 😲

    • @Moleymole
      @Moleymole Před 2 lety +15

      Yeah I did feel kinda sick watching him climb past the overhangs with only the akward load dangling from his waist to cushion his fall! 😱🤢

  • @slyteen2197
    @slyteen2197 Před 2 lety +28

    Balls of steel. He's the type of man who made Britain great. God bless his soul.

    • @Paul-D
      @Paul-D Před 3 měsíci +3

      And the country was FULL of his type at one point....

  • @UsmanBEYofficial
    @UsmanBEYofficial Před rokem +15

    I got weak as f### in the knees watching this and im actually sat down too 🤣 Fred Dibnah was just made of something else 🔥💯👏

  • @johnbuxton6009
    @johnbuxton6009 Před 8 měsíci +70

    He was and still is a real national treasure. Thank you Fred for being a true
    Brit.

  • @sonnyjimm23
    @sonnyjimm23 Před 2 lety +240

    Armstrong - "It's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind".
    Fred - "You could ride a bike round up here!" 👍 Golden ✨

    • @SeeDaRipper...
      @SeeDaRipper... Před rokem +3

      🤣

    • @tonymontana897
      @tonymontana897 Před rokem +5

      They should've bottled his blood before he died. What a Legend of Mankind !

    • @P.H.888
      @P.H.888 Před 8 měsíci +1

      😅

    • @borntoclimb7116
      @borntoclimb7116 Před 5 měsíci +1

      Ride a bike on a chimney, some daredevil on CZcams upload a video from a 280 meters tall old chimney and ride a unycicle

    • @borntoclimb7116
      @borntoclimb7116 Před měsícem +1

      Here on yt there is a pretty famous video from a daredevil on a 256 meters tall chimney ride a unycycle on top or balance on the steelbeam on top.

  • @hackerkillea
    @hackerkillea Před 3 lety +378

    Tom “why am I doing this” Davies sent me

  • @teslaphile2097
    @teslaphile2097 Před rokem +211

    What a bloke. I grew up watching Fred. In my youth I thought he was just a nutty steeplejack. But, as I matured so did Fred's presenting career. Let's be honest, if anyone deserves a cushy retirement in front of a camera, it's this man! Then, I learned about his love of Victorian engineering. He loved the way people cared about what they were making, with expertise and care. He was so talented in so many ways. A joiner by trade, his writing and drawings were so artistic. His writing was like calligraphy! He could build steam traction engines (which in his words, are like a bloody big bomb!) from the ground up and if he didn't have the right tools... He'd make them! And his knowledge of architecture was endless. Many of UK loved watching Fred through his career, and I'm glad he's even straying across the pond! And I don't doubt that he and our love of him put some uppity history wannabee presenters out of a job. Sorry, he earned it, you didn't. I learnt so much from his easy going, layman's style of explaining. Thank you Fred, for everything!! Rest easy now.

    • @Hereford1642
      @Hereford1642 Před rokem +8

      At school Dibnah was placed in an art class (his reading and writing skills were judged to be poor), following which he spent three years at art college, where his work was based mainly on industrial themes such as machinery, pithead gear and spinning mills.

    • @JP_TaVeryMuch
      @JP_TaVeryMuch Před rokem +10

      A wonderful, well, obituary really. Our lad obviously touched your heart as did he mine.
      Fred was the very best example of the classic understated trait of quiet forbearance and dogged determination. God rest his soul.

    • @matoko123
      @matoko123 Před rokem +3

      I can't disagree with you there.

    • @iancognito6920
      @iancognito6920 Před 8 měsíci +5

      fantastic post ..so true

    • @borntoclimb7116
      @borntoclimb7116 Před 4 měsíci

      He is Impressive but AS a pro climber, climbing up a ladder is the easy climb in the book. Is Not meaning as a hate

  • @Jonbombs
    @Jonbombs Před 5 lety +1593

    _Some of the stones at the top weigh as much as 5 tonnes each_
    2 stones in particular Fred

    • @pauloconnor7951
      @pauloconnor7951 Před 4 lety +7

      @@countdublevay7327 Western civilisation is a good idea . Ghandi.

    • @malcolmcanning548
      @malcolmcanning548 Před 4 lety +12

      5 ton who put them there ..

    • @dickJohnsonpeter
      @dickJohnsonpeter Před 4 lety +5

      @@pauloconnor7951 They have to go back
      - Gandhi

    • @craigfulton3316
      @craigfulton3316 Před 4 lety +7

      Your not kidding mate sold iron he was a excellent man

    • @samuelwoods164
      @samuelwoods164 Před 4 lety +35

      @@malcolmcanning548 the builders.... but I think you're missing the joke, by stones he was referring to the guys testicles, he was saying the guy had huge balls to climb up there like that.
      If you didn't get that joke then I guess you have been R/Whooshed

  • @phreak761
    @phreak761 Před 5 lety +451

    Don't forget he was the one who actually put those ladders up in the first place, climbing up them is a breeze for old Fred even in his 50's.

    • @nchcroy3877
      @nchcroy3877 Před 5 lety +62

      @@Codzilla71 he's not talking to himself ..he's talking for the camera and documentary.

    • @adamturner2836
      @adamturner2836 Před 4 lety +11

      Yeah it's crazy seeing him actually ladder the stacks using each section to add the next, shifty as fuck but he loved it. And guys honestly no matter how used to it you get now and again chatting to yourself does was the fact your kissing death in the face. I've been on big buildings a roofer etc and yeah it gets to you at times even after doing it years

    • @canadianman000
      @canadianman000 Před 4 lety +20

      @@adamturner2836 I worked with a bricklayer in his late 60s for about 6 years. Old school fella. We don't have any stacks around here but I've been up the side of a few tall buildings. That chatter distracts you from thinking about the risk, while your'e talking about what your'e doing your are inadvertently also paying better attention.

    • @dickJohnsonpeter
      @dickJohnsonpeter Před 4 lety +6

      @@adamturner2836 Since the bottom ladder has to hold the weight of all the subsequent ladders on top of it, I wonder if he ever figured the limit of height he can ladder. I would think it would be limited by the weight the bottom ladder can hold. I know they are also pegged to the building and that takes some weight off but not much. He's lucky none of his pegs ever came out. He knew how and where to hammer them in, but still, you can never 100% guarantee the stone will hold all your pegs, especially that ladder that angled upside-down!

    • @tomtalk24
      @tomtalk24 Před 4 lety +5

      @@Codzilla71 Him talking to himself is being Northern lol. And probably a few jars.
      You don't get nerves when you've been doing it since a kid, you get balls.

  • @VICTOBERN
    @VICTOBERN Před rokem +286

    By any accounts, this is a remarkable feat of skill and stamina. The actual construction in the 1870's in itself is something else - but Fred makes that enormous climb look almost casual and the fact that he had to place all those ladders by hand himself frankly seems extraordinary.

    • @oldgolfpunk
      @oldgolfpunk Před rokem +31

      How they built that tower in those days is mind blowing...
      People would struggle doing it today with modern equipment

    • @Revvy85
      @Revvy85 Před rokem +43

      Don't forget strength. You're not climbing a ladder at that angle without the core of a silverback

    • @saintnick7
      @saintnick7 Před rokem +18

      ​@Old Golf Punk As Fred says quite often, most of them were built from the inside

    • @GavinSaintClair
      @GavinSaintClair Před rokem +3

      @@Revvy85this comment is legit!

    • @77thTrombone
      @77thTrombone Před rokem +9

      Yup. I was amazed how he placed ladders end-on-end against a _smooth sided stack,_ going a half ladder at a time with- what? - 8-foot lengths of rope.
      How he placed these cantilevered ladders without "half-laddering" boggles the mind.

  • @philipdrewry6706
    @philipdrewry6706 Před 8 měsíci +42

    I watched this clip in an episode which was aired in the late 1970’s with my dad. We were both terrified - was scarier than a Hammer Horror film. Total respect to this man. RIP Fred, a true legend.

    • @Matibeos
      @Matibeos Před 8 měsíci +2

      This was filmed early 90s

    • @borntoclimb7116
      @borntoclimb7116 Před 5 měsíci

      Yes this is impressive but for a climber, this is Just a ladder, nothing in comparsion to a big rock wall.

    • @alastairjones7359
      @alastairjones7359 Před měsícem

      There was a mountain bike in the footage so not late 70’s..I’m think very early 90’s

    • @Tafthegutterman59
      @Tafthegutterman59 Před měsícem

      The guy was fearless 😂 imagine someone doing that nowadays 😅 Health and safety executive would have a baby on the spot

  • @NoRRyRaMpaGe
    @NoRRyRaMpaGe Před 4 lety +1196

    Crazy to think that he had no idea one day nearly 2 million people would watch him climb that chimney on the internet

    • @grizzlygamer8891
      @grizzlygamer8891 Před 3 lety +53

      That's nowt compared with how many people have seen him on TV.

    • @themadplotter
      @themadplotter Před 3 lety +65

      he hated anything invented after the steam engine so he would think us all wankers.

    • @v10moped
      @v10moped Před 3 lety +4

      not that crazy. You new to CZcams?

    • @TheGalacticEmperorOfLabels
      @TheGalacticEmperorOfLabels Před 3 lety +5

      Yeah, but you had no idea it'd be 2.3m a mere 9 months later. I'm making no predictions about future viewings.

    • @armoris66
      @armoris66 Před 3 lety +36

      FRED = Tinternet! What the ell's tinternet?!

  • @shadow-Sun
    @shadow-Sun Před 6 lety +228

    That man is a LEGEND I remember watching his programme when I was a kid , I am north of 50 now myself . Fred Dibnah represents all that was good about Britain, his character , hard work ethic , easy going presenting style , love of British engineering heritage, a genuine genuine guy and someone the country could be proud of ...he was not rare back in the day many Brits were like him ...sadly all gone now replaced by "reality" stars like Jordan ,Those Towie idiots, and Geordie Shore nobodys Kim Kardashian the list is endless ...how things have changed for the worse in my opinion in television land and the world in general..

    • @tomkelly8427
      @tomkelly8427 Před 5 lety +17

      Shad ow could not have said it better myself.. Kim k is famous for having a fat arse. The world is going to shit started in America first now its in Europe and I'm not for being racist its all ethnic groups won't fame for fuck all.
      These skills Fred had were real. Topman. ..

    • @peterah7957
      @peterah7957 Před 5 lety +5

      These archives are brilliant... I don't watch any TV anymore

    • @benthompson8126
      @benthompson8126 Před 5 lety

      So right! 😕

    • @jakesarms8996
      @jakesarms8996 Před 5 lety +6

      That man's DNA needs to be saved. Unbelievable !

    • @Durgesuth
      @Durgesuth Před 5 lety +5

      I wish this guy was with us today..... such a real craftsman. . He had so much knowledge and skills ... not many born like that

  • @maxbowie6074
    @maxbowie6074 Před 7 měsíci +50

    I cannot express how much admiration I have for this man. Utterly fearless. When he said "They reckon some of the stones up here weigh 5 tonnes", he means people on the ground referring to the size of his balls. Just extraordinary bravery, strength and skill. Don't be fooled by the carefree demeanour....you didn't survive in that trade unless you knew *exactly* what you were doing, and he clearly did. A master steeplejack for the ages. 🙏🤜👌

    • @user-gj8rt5gw2j
      @user-gj8rt5gw2j Před 7 měsíci +3

      Blimey, he put a Union flag up there, you couldn't do that now, the police would arrest you.

    • @dylanklebald8123
      @dylanklebald8123 Před 7 měsíci

      I like the bit a about the buzzard. As if he is on about some girls husband. Like he has fought him before. Makes me laugh that.

  • @mareklew5108
    @mareklew5108 Před 7 měsíci +66

    My second job after school was as a trainee steeple jack ,(43 or so years ago) I still remember the effort in laddering a chimney ..... no lightweight aluminium , just heavy strengthened timber about 8' long and 2 1/2 - 3 foot wide , weighed a blood tonne .... lost all my skin from both shoulders lugging these up one at a time to hand over to my foreman who incidentally was also called Fred ,who to help me out passed me his flat cap to put onder my jacket to cushion the ladder ( there was a strengthening wire under each wrung which caused all the skin loss ) great camaraderie amongst all the guys , fearless and hardworking just like Mr Dibnah

    • @inhaletimetimeinhale2519
      @inhaletimetimeinhale2519 Před 2 měsíci

      fucking stupid if you ask me, why not have padding? little bitch

    • @TheEudaemonicPlague
      @TheEudaemonicPlague Před měsícem

      My father always kept his ladders outside...brilliant. Yeah, they eventually broke. I don't recall wire ever being used for that purpose....it was a good bit thicker than wire, it was solid rods of steel, and the better ladders had that run through a groove, which protected them a bit. I'm happy with my aluminum ladder, though it's much too heavy for me anymore--bad back. I need to get a fiberglass ladder.
      When I was in my teens and early twenties, I used to climb buildings for fun. Once, me and some friends snuck into the football stadium--I climbed a lighting tower. Another time, we found an iron ladder on the outside of a university building, with pavement below and no cage. We climbed it to the roof five or so stories up, but found a door and the stairs to go back, because we weren't quite stupid enough to take further chances. I like watching Fred...even at my boldest, I wasn't nearly so confident.

    • @mareklew5108
      @mareklew5108 Před měsícem +1

      @@TheEudaemonicPlague You know it probably was steel rods.... many years ago and the memory fades

  • @denis9450
    @denis9450 Před 3 lety +443

    Fred was a true legend don't forget he had to put those ladders up there then remove them when he was finished biggest set of balls in the UK God rest his soul.

    • @featherbrain7147
      @featherbrain7147 Před 2 lety +29

      I was thinking through the video, "someone had a worse job putting the ladders there in the first place". That would probably be even more hair-raising to watch.

    • @DoobiusPiff
      @DoobiusPiff Před 2 lety +29

      @@featherbrain7147 go watch fred put the ladders up he has videos of it too its intense as fuck and obviously fred just cool as a cucumber lol

    • @do5e
      @do5e Před 2 lety +15

      Fred Dibnah laddering a chimney (Part 1): czcams.com/video/F04dGK1_wYA/video.html

    • @NorthTexasEagle1989
      @NorthTexasEagle1989 Před 2 lety +6

      That's why he wasn't scared, God gave him them giant bouncy clackers just in case he fell.

    • @geneticdisorder1900
      @geneticdisorder1900 Před 2 lety +3

      An old guy carpenter showed me a picture where he was working on a church steeple, around 110’ high. He had ladders set up sorta like Fred did, only difference, they were all old WOOD extension ones tied together with hemp ropes. Old construction workers had balls of steel, yet on the other hand, had to do what they had to, to get the job done. No JLG boom lifts back in the 1920’s.

  • @DjPrimeberry
    @DjPrimeberry Před 2 lety +150

    I come back here frequently, when life is complete shit… I take inspiration where this man faces his world face on! Rip Fred!

  • @alexwalker9649
    @alexwalker9649 Před 10 měsíci +23

    Whenever I’m feeling low about working from home, I watch this. This man had the biggest balls in the UK. No safety lines or equipment, just experience. Just confidence in what he was doing. Just watching this is a work out.

  • @Resenbrink
    @Resenbrink Před rokem +3

    Thank goodness they filmed this. Just brilliant.

  • @bertramlefarge69
    @bertramlefarge69 Před 3 lety +140

    Fred was well prepared for this monumental task.....a ploughman's lunch, a couple of pints and half a dozen woodbines!

    • @Bartooc
      @Bartooc Před 3 lety +4

      And a flat cap.

  • @changyUK
    @changyUK Před 7 lety +408

    Let's be honest, how many of you were like me and actually felt nervous just watching this legend? I was okay at ladders and heights when younger but nothing like this and that overhang...are you kidding me? A truly remarkable man, one of a kind! RIP Fred.

    • @michaelkiddle3149
      @michaelkiddle3149 Před 6 lety +6

      Dave Raybould Made me feel sick especially the overhangs

    • @davidmg1925
      @davidmg1925 Před 6 lety +3

      Dave, for some people heights just dont affect them. I have a few friends like that.
      Yeah great man but he didn't treat his woman friends very well.

    • @adrinathegreat3095
      @adrinathegreat3095 Před 6 lety +6

      David Farmer Exactly, if you have no fear of heights all you are doing is climbing up a fixed ladder.
      Hardly comparable to rock climbing, my neighbour is a roofer still working at 72 years old climbing up on people's roofs and the occasional church spire to do repair work.
      And yes he didn't treat his wives very well, he'd not really have wanted to be born in the mid Victorian age as all this was new stuff then, and being an uneducated man he'd have been working 18hr days and no time for hobbies, tin bath after work then off to bed, dead at 45 years old, and if he did have kids half of them would have died in infancy.
      Good times

    • @Big-Show1
      @Big-Show1 Před 5 lety +4

      Made my legs tingle

    • @dirkbruere
      @dirkbruere Před 5 lety +1

      No hard hat, no safety harness...

  • @johnlally5296
    @johnlally5296 Před 8 měsíci +19

    He's got to be one of the bravest nicest fellas you'd ever meet its great to have this footage of him he was a great teacher of history.

    • @borntoclimb7116
      @borntoclimb7116 Před měsícem

      Yes sure here in the uk but in lot of 3rd world countries, literally million of peoples work like fred even in 2024 or doing more dangerous work, no surprise a few thousands of fatal accidents happening per year and nowadays there is gore footage on reddit and another web sites.

  • @saintnick7
    @saintnick7 Před rokem +53

    Absolute respect for this man, he was a master at his trade and to watch him scale those chimneys is just awe inspiring. A true legend

  • @dennisn1672
    @dennisn1672 Před 2 lety +277

    Climbing that chimney is one thing. Putting up all those ladders with only one helper on the ground is just mind boggling especially on those overhangs. Fred was definitely one a kind.

    • @Oscuros
      @Oscuros Před rokem +12

      There were lots of Steeplejacks back then, you used to hear about them, see them, sometimes read about them dying from falling off, but they didn't have a camera crew with them. The other thing that made him more interesting than other Steeplejacks was his interest in steam and in restoring engines, which gave him a good career also on TV presenting those as well.
      czcams.com/video/Yxh78diK1Mc/video.html

    • @PreservationEnthusiast
      @PreservationEnthusiast Před rokem +12

      There were plenty of good Steeplejacks around. In fact Fred Dibnah was thrown out of the Steeplejacks and lightning conductor installers Federation for bringing the industry into disrepute. He was also cited by HSE for various failed demolitions and buildings left in dangerous condition.
      What you see of Fred is glamourised by TV but some of the things he got up to were terrible examples of working methods.

    • @borntoclimb7116
      @borntoclimb7116 Před rokem

      @@Oscuros lots of peoples died and no one cares because is no camera

    • @dasgill4761
      @dasgill4761 Před rokem +23

      @@PreservationEnthusiast got any evidence for these claims of bad workmanship or just more CZcams slander?

    • @dasgill4761
      @dasgill4761 Před rokem +6

      @@PreservationEnthusiast thank you for the correction - libel/slander/defamation - whatever you want to call it. The point is that there are too many of these comments on CZcams (and social media in general) without evidence. When you say ‘look it up on the net’ you immediately lose credibility and become a troll. I have looked and cannot find any of the aforementioned. Maybe you can enlighten us?

  • @leoleebirdevallativa8252
    @leoleebirdevallativa8252 Před 6 lety +75

    I do scaffold for a living have been for 17 years the highest ive been is 240 feet the limit on scaffold to build is 300 feet....fred is one tough man hats off to u people do not realize how tough it is to climb that high how much strength and energy u need...then u still have to work when u get up there and then climb down when u done...much respect for the great fred hats off to u and a pint in the air for u Fred

    • @countdublevay7327
      @countdublevay7327 Před 5 lety +1

      Just another aspect of your white male privledge.

    • @ferrallderrall6588
      @ferrallderrall6588 Před 5 lety +3

      @@countdublevay7327 come again ?what's the problem

    • @ferrallderrall6588
      @ferrallderrall6588 Před 5 lety +3

      @@countdublevay7327 poor fella have you considered working outside the trades, maybe it's just not for you

    • @countdublevay7327
      @countdublevay7327 Před 5 lety

      i beg your pardon...
      im an unmarried, mother of four 35yo black female who works in an office with child protective services.

    • @ferrallderrall6588
      @ferrallderrall6588 Před 5 lety +7

      @@countdublevay7327 ok good for you ,were do I sign in for some privileges though?seems to me very little was ever privileged my way ,pretty much worked for my keep,so I still don't get your sentiment exept for it's your imagination

  • @Hetr0
    @Hetr0 Před rokem +10

    Oh how times have changed Fred, you certainly had the best of it. Jack of all trades and master of all of them. RIP lad, thy's cemented your legacy with style and true grit.

  • @beamer.electronics
    @beamer.electronics Před rokem +64

    Remarkable. On the surface, Fred was a jolly and easy-going chap but underneath he was a superbly skilled calculating machine: He instinctively knew the right weather, wind conditions and personal health. He completely put aside any what-ifs and maybes. Fred also fine-tuned his confidence. He probably had a certain level of fear - it kept him alive, and he knew that above a certain height (maybe 30 feet), a fall would kill anyway. Personally, I get shaky standing on a triple ladder!

    • @tricky778
      @tricky778 Před 7 měsíci +1

      As Terry Pratchett pointed out in one of his discworld novels, there's no point being afraid of heights, be afraid of the ground because it's the ground that kills you.

    • @beamer.electronics
      @beamer.electronics Před 7 měsíci +1

      @@tricky778 A commercial pilot I once knew said the same, but in a slightly different way: "I like flying as high as possible - it provides the time for me to think of a solution to an issue!"

    • @dusannestorovic5699
      @dusannestorovic5699 Před 5 měsíci +1

      I've never climbed this high up, but I work in deadly heights daily and you sort of get used to it after a while
      You still feel uneasy but it stops bothering and hindering you and you just focus on getting the job done

    • @honeydaler
      @honeydaler Před 4 dny

      2 pairs of socks and im shakey

  • @user-vi4jn6mf8t
    @user-vi4jn6mf8t Před 2 měsíci +2

    I’m knackered just watching him climb up.. proper English legend.

  • @frazzledazzle2091
    @frazzledazzle2091 Před 5 lety +252

    "..one mistake it's definitely half a day out with the undertaker.." classic!

    • @phil2003ashleigh
      @phil2003ashleigh Před 4 lety +12

      FraZzLe DaZzLe was a wonderful guy. Remember a story when he done an after dinner talk to dentists. He was offered all his dental work perpetually or £200. £200 quid Please he replied, that will buy me new pliers and I could use em for work too ! Absolute genius and a gentleman. Also I swear to god he had a part time job strangling gorillas: his hands were enormous and trust me he was an extremely mild mannered man, but utterly fearless. Miss him x RIP steeplejack Dibnah x

    • @halbebek221
      @halbebek221 Před 4 lety +2

      I was gonna say I bet his grip is next level. You wouldn't want a Chinese burn off Fred he'd tear ya skin off n crush ya bones!

    • @malcolmabram2957
      @malcolmabram2957 Před 4 lety

      I was gobsmacked watching this. However as an ex-rock climber he could have had running ropes along the ladder to which he could have attached himself using a prusik knot and a harness. It would have arrested a fall. Even so, no way could I do what he did.

  • @mudpluggerdisco7853
    @mudpluggerdisco7853 Před 3 lety +161

    Hats off to the late Fred dibnah... nerves of steel....my arse was twitching like a bunny rabbits nose just watching him....👍

    • @sarahcox9284
      @sarahcox9284 Před 3 lety +4

      Mudplugger,I love your comment,so funny yet very real,gave me a good laugh.

    • @garykenyon905
      @garykenyon905 Před 3 lety +1

      @@sarahcox9284 thank You sarah.. he was boltons finest...followed him from his very early days on tv...must visit his house one day...and oh..are you boltons very own sara cox...lol..x

    • @bouncerbloke1
      @bouncerbloke1 Před 3 lety

      😂 😂 great comment mudplugger

    • @stephanguitar9778
      @stephanguitar9778 Před 3 lety +1

      Yep, I was getting vertigo just watching it on a laptop.

  • @peetduplessis7401
    @peetduplessis7401 Před rokem +6

    I am a South African, and became aware of Fred during the lockdown. I watched every series that he had a part in. How i whished i could have met him. If somebody wants to have a go at the English it is prudent to keep in mind that this type of tenacity is sprinkled throughout the pale tea-drinkers🤔

  • @user-pc4ow1mj9t
    @user-pc4ow1mj9t Před 6 měsíci +11

    This man had balls of steel, you'll always be remembered Fred rest easy ❤

  • @j0hnf_uk
    @j0hnf_uk Před 3 lety +86

    Reaches the top and quips, 'you could ride a bike round here.' One in a million.

    • @NigelWassell
      @NigelWassell Před 6 měsíci

      One in 56.31 million. An incredible man.

  • @carmenpower1869
    @carmenpower1869 Před 9 lety +164

    "you can ride a bike around here" (300 foot up), only Fred would
    say that. An amazing man.

  • @craigbutler6243
    @craigbutler6243 Před 8 měsíci +18

    If we built that chimney today it would cost tens of millions! Fred was & still is a national treasure...

    • @wynwilliams911
      @wynwilliams911 Před 5 měsíci +2

      in todays money that would be £2,041,015 and it would like cost a lot more than that nowadays :)

    • @borntoclimb7116
      @borntoclimb7116 Před 5 měsíci +1

      Today we have 200, 250 and 300 meters tall chimneys.

    • @wynwilliams911
      @wynwilliams911 Před 5 měsíci

      @@borntoclimb7116 Well the tallest in the UK is 259 m the one he is climbing is around 91m tall, different materials of course and shape etc and not as good looking :) but yeah likely not costing tens of millions

    • @borntoclimb7116
      @borntoclimb7116 Před 5 měsíci

      @@wynwilliams911 but tall chimney are expensive, in Germany we have a Lot of 200 and 250 meters tall ones, some are 275 and more than 300 meters tall

    • @wynwilliams911
      @wynwilliams911 Před 5 měsíci

      @@borntoclimb7116 Yes, they are expensive to build and would no doubt be very expensive to recreate the chimney he was climbing, but we have much different materials now and they do not cost tens of millions AFAIK

  • @jay71512
    @jay71512 Před 5 lety +222

    Im a yorkshireman but have no shame in saying its true lancashire grit like this that made our country great! Too few of these northern nutcases left in our world these days! I hope freds family are doing well!

    • @paullynass4848
      @paullynass4848 Před 5 lety +1

      Great Britain was named great because of the land mass..Ireland was known as little britain

    • @paullynass4848
      @paullynass4848 Před 5 lety +17

      @Marc Phelan The Greco-Egyptian scientist Ptolemy referred to the larger island as great Britain (μεγάλη Βρεττανία megale Brettania) and to Ireland as little Britain (μικρὰ Βρεττανία mikra Brettania) in his work Almagest (147-148 AD).

    • @bruceedmonds5450
      @bruceedmonds5450 Před 4 lety +2

      @Marc Phelan Hate to break it to you, but Ireland was called Little Britain many a moon ago

    • @astudentofhistory6520
      @astudentofhistory6520 Před 4 lety +3

      @Moonshine Buck Brit bong istan.. Bolton isn't even 50% white I dare to suggest now

    • @bojojojo913
      @bojojojo913 Před 4 lety

      @@paullynass4848 where did that come from?

  • @samb2945
    @samb2945 Před 5 lety +626

    Made my testicles retract up into my armpits just watching this.

    • @markgreen9623
      @markgreen9623 Před 4 lety +4

      Me too

    • @m2db772
      @m2db772 Před 4 lety +15

      @C Stew its even worst when you think how he got them ladders up too !

    • @ronchabale
      @ronchabale Před 4 lety +2

      Me too

    • @Bart-Did-it
      @Bart-Did-it Před 4 lety +3

      That’s a shame you will grow into a man one day look down and go koowl ballz In armpits that was a shock I’d say can I have a go .

    • @ChrisAndCats
      @ChrisAndCats Před 4 lety +1

      😅

  • @Johnsull1965ish
    @Johnsull1965ish Před 9 měsíci +4

    Went to see this chimney on Saturday after visiting Fred's Grave, House and his Mothers House to see the chimney he had built there, while on a wee tour of Wales, Scotland and England for a week.
    I would have very much loved to have met and spoken to the man when he was still alive, but alas.
    I still had a few words at the grave side.
    Came across him first on the tv a good twenty odd years ago, and enjoyed all the series of programmes he was involved in, an extremely knowledgeable guy and so interesting to listne to plus his delivery was second to none.
    I returned home to Ireland after my visit to some of the places he had been, and was very happy I had done so.

    • @jfro5867
      @jfro5867 Před 9 měsíci +1

      That sounds like a wonderful trip and I absolutely understand why you took the time & trouble to do it. Fred was a Legend, of that there is no doubt.

    • @Johnsull1965ish
      @Johnsull1965ish Před 9 měsíci

      @jfro5867 Absolutely, thoroughly enjoyed my week, and already planning the next one.

  • @limeyosu2000
    @limeyosu2000 Před rokem +6

    Love Fred I’m proud to be British because of him!

  • @barfmeister8509
    @barfmeister8509 Před 5 lety +28

    What an absolute gem of a bloke! One of England’s great characters and sorely missed by a certain generation

    • @tomtalk24
      @tomtalk24 Před 4 lety +1

      All generations. A certain type of person who don't mind grubby finger nails or bit of coal in his tea.

  • @haha-jx5ui
    @haha-jx5ui Před 6 lety +478

    there you go hollywood?? no special effects there ....spiderman in a flat cap

    • @richardsandwell2285
      @richardsandwell2285 Před 5 lety +7

      Yes, all their special effects look tame compared to that.

    • @theoldoakvideos
      @theoldoakvideos Před 5 lety +13

      and probably had 6 pints

    • @williamwallace2278
      @williamwallace2278 Před 5 lety +1

      🤣😂😅😆

    • @millsbomb007
      @millsbomb007 Před 4 lety +1

      @@theoldoakvideos at the top, and slid down the ladders no doubt. What a legend

    • @fafski1199
      @fafski1199 Před 4 lety +1

      @@theoldoakvideos He always said he often downed a couple of pints, before climbing one

  • @GypsyHunter232UK
    @GypsyHunter232UK Před rokem +8

    Fred was the epitome of a real true English man who was a true master of his craft and a real down to earth gentle man who can never be betterd. One in 10 billion. Cannot be replaced or forgotten ever. REST IN PEACE FRED OLD FRIEND. I REMEMBER U FROM OUR MEET AT UR HOUSE LOOKING AT UR LATEST STEAM PROJECT ..

  • @tangerinedreamer50
    @tangerinedreamer50 Před 11 měsíci +27

    This man should have a gold statue made of him he's a national treasure. There will never be another one.

    • @salamalkebab8377
      @salamalkebab8377 Před 8 měsíci +6

      He does actually have a statue in Bolton. Not made out of gold, but still...

    • @TheEugeep
      @TheEugeep Před 8 měsíci +8

      There wasn’t enough gold in the reserve to recreate those massive balls

    • @Warriorpoet79
      @Warriorpoet79 Před 7 měsíci +1

      @@TheEugeepfacts!

  • @marclaw4511
    @marclaw4511 Před 9 lety +182

    Makes your heart skip a beat.The man was a legend who worked hard and treated this as the norm.He is a credit to this Country.

    • @enrobhcit
      @enrobhcit Před 6 lety +3

      Marc could not have put it better myself

    • @Giskard1000
      @Giskard1000 Před 6 lety +2

      Absolutely agree

    • @beachlife2968
      @beachlife2968 Před 6 lety +2

      How is he staying attached to the ladder on the overhang 4:18 surely gravity would try and bring your legs back vertical. The camera shows how high he is but even then i dont think it does it justice. If you had a camera looking directly down from the top that would really make people shit themselves.

    • @saddlebrew1634
      @saddlebrew1634 Před 6 lety +1

      beach life my hands and feet were sweating watching this

    • @beachlife2968
      @beachlife2968 Před 6 lety +5

      Ha-ha that overhang is something. His hands are just casually on the outer ladder, my hands would be gripped tightly on each rung with a harness on lol. Getting back on the overhang to come back down would be even worse as you have to come down backwards.

  • @dickyyrrep1383
    @dickyyrrep1383 Před 3 lety +322

    The man is a Legend, totally fearless and remember he did this to earn a living for his family before the film cameras came. It makes me anxious just watching. Fred you have my eternal respect. RIP

    • @maruyama2076
      @maruyama2076 Před 2 lety

      It was a terrible shame he fell to his death

    • @FlamesOfThought
      @FlamesOfThought Před 2 lety +1

      My balls wanna hide just watching! They're like, you're on your own mate, we're both off

    • @teemuleppa3347
      @teemuleppa3347 Před 2 lety

      @@maruyama2076 he died of cancer

    • @maruyama2076
      @maruyama2076 Před 2 lety

      @@teemuleppa3347 Whilst falling?

  • @onchnc3546
    @onchnc3546 Před 10 měsíci +12

    Fred an absolute legend. Amazing skill and strength to do his job. What a character. Sorely missed

  • @damienbrown6764
    @damienbrown6764 Před rokem +10

    The skill of Fred is incredible 300 feet up and not phased at all no rope no harness nothing but his bravery some man rip legend

  • @oneandonlyjaybee
    @oneandonlyjaybee Před 5 lety +2390

    Nowadays he'd be plastered in go-pro cameras and have 4 million Instagram followers.

    • @MikaelLevoniemi
      @MikaelLevoniemi Před 5 lety +55

      Back then it was BBC and his own tv show. Yep, he did that and was at least locally famous.

    • @JoanneCRL
      @JoanneCRL Před 5 lety +4

      Aye

    • @peterbach1126
      @peterbach1126 Před 5 lety +27

      nope, many people do this kind of epic shit all the time.
      And then, there are those who just do it to post it online.

    • @Dreadpirateflappy
      @Dreadpirateflappy Před 5 lety +2

      @CHOPPER 86 what the fuck?

    • @RosinGoblin
      @RosinGoblin Před 5 lety +5

      @@MikaelLevoniemi Big Black cock is the best television network

  • @bigpete111100
    @bigpete111100 Před 4 lety +310

    My dad is in the same mould as Fred, luckily he's still with us, he's 80 now and has gone blind but I could sit listening to his tails and his wisdom all day long. I realise he may not be around much longer, but while he is alive I'm gonna cherish every moment with him

    • @michaelwhittaker5432
      @michaelwhittaker5432 Před 3 lety +18

      make sure u tell him you love him and give him a big hug , it may embarrass him but he will be more thankful than you can ever know

    • @ridgebackdk
      @ridgebackdk Před 3 lety +5

      @@michaelwhittaker5432 as peter will be too.... lucky are we who were rasied by strong men

    • @Systematicsphere
      @Systematicsphere Před 3 lety +3

      Tails?

    • @bigpete111100
      @bigpete111100 Před 3 lety

      Tales*

    • @richardhammer187
      @richardhammer187 Před 3 lety +2

      Sounds great, hoping you'll have many more years with him, 80s the new 60 these days!

  • @walterkersting6238
    @walterkersting6238 Před rokem +3

    People like Fred Dibnah, if you can find one like him, make up the best part of England.

  • @rosetinteddays2605
    @rosetinteddays2605 Před rokem +5

    Fred is an absolute one of a kind, they don’t have his type anymore! I say this with absolute respect to the man!

  • @711honved
    @711honved Před 7 lety +218

    Nerves of steel! A remarkable man from an era long gone.

    • @garyabbot4659
      @garyabbot4659 Před 6 lety

      711honved people still climb shit

    • @Buildbeautiful
      @Buildbeautiful Před 6 lety +5

      gary abbot how many people over 50 climb like Fred that you know.?real men like Fred are a dying breed these days.

    • @garyabbot4659
      @garyabbot4659 Před 6 lety

      Anthony Redmond its not a common job. hundreds of kids climb stupid shit. climbing doesnt make someone a man. how simple are you.

    • @kelletman
      @kelletman Před 6 lety +4

      Maybe not, but balls are few and far between in this none gender world where people call themselves what they want, then ask the rest of us to believe it.

    • @omararenas622
      @omararenas622 Před 6 lety +2

      Nerves of steel....... more like BALLS OF STEEL

  • @brianpoole4369
    @brianpoole4369 Před 3 lety +318

    They were all Fred's own ladders...he chiselled holes in the chimney, and secured all the ladders with rope...an amazing feat in itself....all done by himself!!....a true unpretentious northerner...you know...the type that forged an empire!...

    • @GSXRI300
      @GSXRI300 Před 3 lety +5

      naw he was sat in his £2million trailer drinking tea whilst a crew where putting up the rigging, bit like bear grills

    • @cloejarozenski5109
      @cloejarozenski5109 Před 3 lety +24

      Olliedog Travels lol are you a moron? There’s numerous videos of himself putting up the rigging

    • @jacksonemory4358
      @jacksonemory4358 Před 3 lety +5

      Nonsense man! The likes of George Osborne and his ilk that can hold 7 jobs AND their lucrative rewards are the type that can "FORGE" an empire . With the stroke of a pen .
      (Anyone see what I did there?)

    • @GSXRI300
      @GSXRI300 Před 3 lety +5

      @@cloejarozenski5109
      Close you nob its call a joke FD is a distance relly of mine so put that in your mix

    • @beeble2003
      @beeble2003 Před 3 lety +14

      You wouldn't trust your life to somebody else's ladder, 300ft up a chimney.

  • @davidprobert168
    @davidprobert168 Před rokem +4

    Fred this man is was back bone of English manpower and the brain of a engineer to be proud of RIP Fred 💙☀️🙏🏻

  • @kingdom777866
    @kingdom777866 Před 4 lety +122

    I’m a retired painter been on ladders over 50yrs, I could walk up a ladder with paint
    In one hand, and brush in the other without holding on.. I thought I was a cocky bastad
    until I seen Fred on TV, I never missed an episode and I remember seeing this one it’s
    never left my mind because of those two overhangs.. your body weight feels 3 times
    as heavy on that ladder going up that angle !!
    Fred was a master tradesmen, he could do anything... there’s none like him. RIP Fred ..

    • @leatherworkstation
      @leatherworkstation Před 3 lety +3

      I used to work in a warehouse, and I was shitting it carrying a Dyson down from 30 foot up with one hand holding on, Christ knows how he taught his brain to tolerate this.
      Fred is an absolute legend, remember watching these with my Nan back in the day.

    • @PreservationEnthusiast
      @PreservationEnthusiast Před 3 lety

      Fred was thrown out of the Steeplejacks federation for bringing the industry into disrepute. As for boasting of climbing ladders with no hands, you are irresponsible.

    • @thedonmakaveli7546
      @thedonmakaveli7546 Před 3 lety +6

      @@PreservationEnthusiast get a life

    • @PreservationEnthusiast
      @PreservationEnthusiast Před 3 lety

      @@thedonmakaveli7546 Everything I post is true. Are you afraid of that. Do you thrive on misinformation?

    • @thedonmakaveli7546
      @thedonmakaveli7546 Před 3 lety +6

      @@PreservationEnthusiast no I don’t like people who are fantasists and overcome with jealousy and try to rubbish a great mans achievements! You need to get rid of your Demons and be more positive your are coming across as a complete tosser!

  • @CarterTristan
    @CarterTristan Před 3 lety +117

    No harness, no gloves, jack boots, terrifying overhangs and totally exposed... Fred had pure guts and amazing confidence... a lot of kudos is given to free climbers who don’t use ropes a dozen or so times in their careers... Fred didn’t use ropes for decades!

  • @Guru316
    @Guru316 Před rokem +3

    Balls of steel on this bloke. An incredible human being.

  • @jeremysmith7691
    @jeremysmith7691 Před 9 lety +12

    If you notice on the overhangs. The ladder flat to the chimney goes up past the top of the brick arches. The ropes are then secured to the overhang ladder at various points up the overhang ladder. The only point it's not secured is near the top. Once you ladder the next section it's all secured together. All very easy writing about it. But carrying it out is a different kettle of fish. This country misses you Fred. You were a great man

  • @alphaandomegaministry2718
    @alphaandomegaministry2718 Před 2 lety +301

    The most skilled and confident person climbing buildings I ever did see. Every single movement unharnessed on those exposed heights there is the chance for a fatal error to occur. Death is staring him in the face. But Fred just stares back and gets on with it - doing commentary, coughing, doing exercises, whistling a tune, analysing the architecture. His courage and skill are off the scale.

    • @JustAGuy85
      @JustAGuy85 Před 2 lety +12

      It's weird. My dad is like this with heights. I am not at all comfortable with them lol. He used to work on smokestacks. He'd climb to the top of some trees at home just to show us he could. Like... I dunno. As much as we do share genetically, I didn't get any of that.

    • @JustAGuy85
      @JustAGuy85 Před 2 lety +4

      I do remember they had us climb a 30 foot ladder to clean silo filters once at a factory around 10 years ago. That was the first time I ever even climbed that high. The ladder was built onto it and completely sturdy and stable but it was straight up. I had never climbed that high nor a ladder that went straight up. I found out halfway up that I was using my arms instead of my legs lol.. but I changed my "style" and finished it and didn't tell anyone. A thunderstorm came while we were inside of it. Factory workers are dumb for the most part. "Here's the safest place you could be." Yeah, sure, inside of a metal silo during a massive thunderstorm. I didn't go back the next day. Was working 7 days a week/12 hours a day anyways. Screw that. For 2 months I was told it was just temporary. For 2 months I did 12 hours a day/7 days a week. Seriously... screw that. I feel bad for the guys that think some job like that is all they can do. Don't waste your life.

    • @RedPillRachel
      @RedPillRachel Před 2 lety +3

      @@JustAGuy85 you soft git, they were telling you the truth, you were safe in that metal silo during the thunderstorm, I promise! Any lightning striking the silo would be dissisipated around you and straight to ground, nobody inside the container gets shocked. This is why lightning strikes vehicles including planes without killing the occupants. Cheer up x

    • @JustAGuy85
      @JustAGuy85 Před 2 lety

      @@RedPillRachel We were sitting on metal. Would say more, but you're a chick, anyways.

    • @notmodeling8070
      @notmodeling8070 Před 2 lety +2

      Your just jealous mate real jealous he had to turn work down all the time ,i bet your that guy that needs a full harness two,safety lines JEALOUS

  • @blindness2sight119
    @blindness2sight119 Před 7 měsíci +2

    My stomach is in a total knot watching these. I'm just amazed at how height is no concern to him. God Bless his soul.

  • @msutcliffe5883
    @msutcliffe5883 Před rokem +2

    I live 1mile away from his home.
    The local council never brought his house/tools to keep as a museum. Very shameful. Fred will go down in history.
    Bless thy.

  • @frankfisher99
    @frankfisher99 Před 3 lety +78

    I met Fred once, he was lost looking for a feller with some bits for his Landie in Lymm, Cheshire. We dragged him into our office for a brew and were thoroughly star struck, this would have been in about 1994. He immediately set about chatting up the prettiest girl in the office....

    • @sukottora
      @sukottora Před 3 lety +3

      That landy of his is still on the go.

    • @steeveedee8478
      @steeveedee8478 Před 3 lety +1

      @@sukottora Think his daughter has it now.

    • @grantshenton7079
      @grantshenton7079 Před 3 lety +4

      His missus was a lot younger than him as well , he obviously kept her “well serviced “😀

    • @JohnSmith-nm8jz
      @JohnSmith-nm8jz Před 3 lety

      Wouldn't have been looking for the guy who used to have a load of knackered old Landies behind Parry's Garage on Rushgreen Road, would he?

    • @DaimlerSleeveValve
      @DaimlerSleeveValve Před 3 lety +1

      The Landy was his payment for the first documentary they did about him.

  • @frankbrooker6569
    @frankbrooker6569 Před 4 lety +192

    At 3.50min shaking the lactic acid from his arms n shoulders then waving to his Mrs n kid whilst dropping the union jack out..legend

    • @ProFettMoHaMett
      @ProFettMoHaMett Před 4 lety +4

      3:50

    • @christophestuyvaert8181
      @christophestuyvaert8181 Před 4 lety +1

      No it's against cold fingertips

    • @frankbrooker6569
      @frankbrooker6569 Před 4 lety +1

      @@christophestuyvaert8181 doubt it's cold fingers with all that blood pumping but possibly. .he would definitely have lactic acid with his arms above his head as pulling up climbing.

    • @ShadSimm
      @ShadSimm Před 4 lety +4

      At ‘arry ‘oldens ledge...

    • @najaneda
      @najaneda Před 3 lety

      You can clearly hear him say his fingers are cold.

  • @danmcbmusic
    @danmcbmusic Před 7 měsíci +10

    How on earth did he get those ladders on the overhangs ... !? The guy was extraordinary.

    • @Ribbo
      @Ribbo Před 3 měsíci +1

      There is another video showing him "laddering" a chimney

  • @RamblinAround
    @RamblinAround Před rokem +6

    What an impressive human being Fred was. Tough as nails.

  • @neilbillybob3065
    @neilbillybob3065 Před 6 lety +61

    Fred was English Culture he was a reminder of old england. our culture is being lost on daily basis we should cherish this man l.

    • @alexhayden2303
      @alexhayden2303 Před 5 lety +3

      DEMOCRACY is a system, whereby 51% tell 49% where to GO!
      The Truth about DEMOCRACY:
      Capital City, LONDON, is now less than 45% WHITE BRITISH!
      Groups with a coherent identity; primarily Muslim, will follow the edicts of their IMAMS, however that conflicts with the Host Cultural Identity.
      As Demographics cause them to become dominant, the Indigenous population will become Annihilated.

    • @9carcottrell246
      @9carcottrell246 Před 5 lety +1

      Neil Billy bob no sir my grandfather was danish

    • @berniebasset9465
      @berniebasset9465 Před 5 lety +1

      What culture?

    • @berniebasset9465
      @berniebasset9465 Před 5 lety +3

      @@alexhayden2303 Utter bullshit.
      How the fuck do you shoehorn your ignorant racism into a video about an old man climbing a chimney?
      Hackney has one of the largest immigrant populations in the UK. It's still over 50% Caucasian. I'm guessing you've never even visited London.

    • @alexhayden2303
      @alexhayden2303 Před 5 lety

      @@berniebasset9465
      How far has Britain gone down the Drain?
      VICTORIA LINE
      50 years! Look carefully at the London crowds:
      Constructing the VICTORIA LINE
      British material, British labour and Brains.
      An extraordinary project.
      Above and below, no more than 6 total, non white Europeans to be seen.
      30 years later, I, a London WASP on a North London bus, was in a Minority!
      czcams.com/video/GwRRSJ_wtIg/video.html

  • @Primal_Primat3
    @Primal_Primat3 Před 3 lety +399

    Climbing those ladders is mad enough, never mind the fact he actually put them up in the first place......

    • @breakit46
      @breakit46 Před 3 lety +34

      No safety line, no harness, no hard hat, but huge Balls.

    • @DanceySteveYNWA
      @DanceySteveYNWA Před 3 lety +52

      Gives you a better respect for the people who built it in the first place

    • @Peter-hw6tk
      @Peter-hw6tk Před 3 lety +15

      Theres a good video of him showing how he ladders a chimney

    • @Peter-hw6tk
      @Peter-hw6tk Před 3 lety +4

      czcams.com/video/F04dGK1_wYA/video.html

    • @Thecrazyvaclav
      @Thecrazyvaclav Před 3 lety +5

      breakit46 check out John Noakes and Nelsons column, similar thing but filmed for a kids program he was a presenter of

  • @zimmer651
    @zimmer651 Před rokem +6

    I never tire of watching Fred Dibnah. There will certainly never be another man like him. He was unassuming, really clever, balls of steel, and an ultimate grafter. I mean honestly, even if you could get anyone to climb one of them chimneys, how many of them would knock a chimney down brick by brick. He was awesome.

  • @rayvinloony2322
    @rayvinloony2322 Před rokem +1

    A stunning British chimney, a true British legend, topped off with the British union jack.
    💪🇬🇧

  • @peckelhaze6934
    @peckelhaze6934 Před 3 lety +11

    I have as much respect for Fred and this chimney as those who built the damn thing in 1867. When you consider that today they cannot even build a two story house without numerous problems. They were master craftsmen.

  • @darrenarnold7759
    @darrenarnold7759 Před 5 lety +102

    Over fifty and doing this. Jesus what a man he was. Bless you Fred you had the courage of a lion sir.

    • @nov3019892008
      @nov3019892008 Před 5 lety +1

      Apparently the last chimney he felled was in 2004, the year he died. Only 66, tragic

    • @deusvult8251
      @deusvult8251 Před 4 lety

      Lord Jesus Christ knows you use his name in blasphemous vain babble

  • @Anthonywb
    @Anthonywb Před rokem +6

    I'm amazed at how he set all those ladders up . Especially the ones on the hang overs

  • @schrottmax5099
    @schrottmax5099 Před rokem +2

    Um da hoch zu kommen braucht es eine Top Kondition und Kraft....Chapeau....

  • @aminoto-3
    @aminoto-3 Před 2 lety +118

    That’s one hell of a climb with cold hands and no safety lines, those 5ft overhangs are crazy..Fred was one hell of a man though, tough as nails and a multi talented, proper grafter.. what a legend.

  • @pinchermartyn3959
    @pinchermartyn3959 Před 6 lety +28

    Love the the union Jack on top. Amazing guy. What this country is all about.

    • @theoldoakvideos
      @theoldoakvideos Před 5 lety

      was

    • @evallyntc3164
      @evallyntc3164 Před 5 lety +1

      About old men climbing ladders? No wonder yall are in the shitter

    • @theoldoakvideos
      @theoldoakvideos Před 5 lety +2

      @@evallyntc3164 it was men like that that built this country from nothing after the war,these guys had fuck all,they shit outside and probably only had 1 set of clothes to wear and a good suit and 1 pair off boots.these guys risked their lives to feed their familes.youve got fucking red hair and a quiff,no doubt a gender neutral tree hugger into the bargain.your not worthy to tie any off those mens shoes.and no matter what parent 1 and 2 tells you,thats a fact.

  • @malcolmstarkey1062
    @malcolmstarkey1062 Před rokem +1

    The skill in all this is not climbing the ladders it’s the installing of the ladders in first place, Fred must have been fearless.

  • @markfoley5595
    @markfoley5595 Před rokem +3

    The guy's an absolute legend - Absolutely amazing.

  • @SJM6791
    @SJM6791 Před 6 lety +68

    Look at how fast and hard the wind is moving that flag. It takes some serious balls to free hand climb a ladder that high under those conditions. This man was truly an amazing human being and an English treasure. Every school child in Western society should be made to watch this man work.

    • @organbuilder272
      @organbuilder272 Před 5 lety +7

      Oh, Really - An English treasure?? Where was England when his machine shop was being knocked down, the machinery, boilers, engines and tools being sold like toys. Where was England when the contents of his house, half of which he built, were auctioned off and scattered like chaff in the wind. Where was England when the demonstration mine pit and mine head machinery were demolished and removed without any trace? England had forgotten all about Fred Dibnah. His time was twice passed in 1890 and in 2018 when all traces of his lifetime works were obliterated from the earth. England didn't care enough to put his estate in trust for preservation. There should have been restraints oon what could be done just as is the practice for "Listed" buildings. There are plenty of "Heritage" sites. The estate could have been in the care of his 2 sons with an oversight committee - just as for other historical places. But no - As is the rule today it is all talk and no action. Nothing, outside of the ill fated efforts of 1 guy, was done to assure that Fred's amazing workshop and traditional tools remained as functional institutions, just as has been done with other places. It didn't have to be restored - it was fully functional in 2004 when he died. All the weeping and wailing about his passing and all he stood for are aligator tears - NO ONE lifted a finger to preserve his heritage - HIS heritage, no some company. His workshop and two steam machines were all rebuilt by him - not to mention every machine tool he owned. - All gone All you stout Englishment had the chance to save it - TWICE - and you did nothing.

    • @organbuilder272
      @organbuilder272 Před 5 lety +5

      +Jimmy Twigg - Thank you. Many people knew Fred that honor should go to them. I only wish I have the honor and privilege of meeting that man. It would have been my first pint and time well spent. As a child I knew a man like him. Too sadly I never knew his worth at that time. Frd was unusual, self taught or not he mastered everything he touched. All too soon was he snatched from this life and so much more he had to give. If I am his champion, no better man could I have chosen.

    • @MrIrfan12345
      @MrIrfan12345 Před 5 lety +3

      @@organbuilder272 Yes you are spot on those who run this country are a joke.

    • @johnhili8664
      @johnhili8664 Před 5 lety +1

      @@organbuilder272 I agree with you my friend here in Malta it is the same problem we have a lot of very old machinery in our water pumping stations they are being thrown away for scrap when I talked to our cultural minister about it to save them for posterity he told me there is nothing he can do!!!!!!!!!!!! Our countries are being run by a bunch of idiots:-(

    • @organbuilder272
      @organbuilder272 Před 5 lety

      @@johnhili8664 @John Hili - There is something you can do - Grab it. Get some people together and buy it at scrap value - Better yet start a public campaign. You have the web to help you. Certainly you are not the only one who feels unhappy about the destruction of historic buildings, machinery, and processes. Historic preservation is important. Dig in, take your cause to the public and it will succeed.

  • @garyhubbard1973
    @garyhubbard1973 Před 8 lety +125

    This is the sort of thing that keeps you sitting on the edge of the chair,
    Not tv soaps, that mans courage is 10 times taller than that tower,what a fella..r.i.p.dear,fred.

    • @dougdowling6931
      @dougdowling6931 Před 6 lety

      Drone adventures h
      Gazsx

    • @richardsandwell2285
      @richardsandwell2285 Před 5 lety +1

      Yes so much better than the grotty soaps which are just degenerating society, not to mention the dire shit they put on TV during Saturday evenings, so glad I no longer own a TV.

    • @johnturner1073
      @johnturner1073 Před 3 lety +1

      Can you imagine the 'modern' BBC commissioning a series on a Fred Dibnah now? Wrong boxes old boy...

  • @Harbaksh1234
    @Harbaksh1234 Před rokem +1

    Mr Dibnah! Thank you Fred, for making this world so much more interesting!

  • @jameswalker7459
    @jameswalker7459 Před rokem +3

    Fred dibnah was the greatest chimney climbers in the world!he was the best self taught engineering genius....we miss u Fred....rip

  • @grimmblade
    @grimmblade Před 4 lety +32

    Can you imagine how many times he was told that it couldn't be done, and yet he did it and the solution was so simple. Common sense, good work ethic and a shit ton of courage👍

  • @crumplezone1
    @crumplezone1 Před 7 lety +282

    I have a handful of hero`s and Fred is right up there , Jack if your reading these comments,your dad was a special and a well loved man

    • @jsj297
      @jsj297 Před 6 lety +4

      Jeff Jones he was not! He molested me repeatedly! And I'm a boy, and there's only one hole he was interested in.

    • @damo0666
      @damo0666 Před 6 lety +18

      Shut up you idiot, what a load of nonsense

    • @graemeskillen9262
      @graemeskillen9262 Před 6 lety +7

      Damo Don't you mean Nonce-sense

    • @damo0666
      @damo0666 Před 6 lety +6

      graeme skillen No I mean BULLSHIT

    • @damo0666
      @damo0666 Před 6 lety +5

      jsj297 and where's your evidence?
      you can't make accusations like that with no evidence

  • @landofnirvana1184
    @landofnirvana1184 Před rokem +26

    Just watching Fred climb it is in itself incredible. The fact he attached all those ladders is yet more impressive. Even more impressive is the fact the chimney was built to that size and scale in the 19th century in the first place. Human engineering and grey matter amongst these phenomenal men is astonishing

    • @tricky778
      @tricky778 Před 8 měsíci

      Less impressive when you realise how cheap life was back then.

    • @MichaelGallagher97
      @MichaelGallagher97 Před 8 měsíci

      Pretty easy to build shit when you don't have to worry about paying people to do the work or worry if they die

    • @tricky778
      @tricky778 Před 7 měsíci +1

      @@MichaelGallagher97 they did have to worry about the bricks, mortar, and reputation lost for failure if there's a partial collapse. Loss of those things is expensive.

  • @steppets25
    @steppets25 Před rokem +2

    Fred is true Superstar ❤👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼😍👍🏼🇬🇧❤️🙏🏼 What a Legend!

  • @andyguy0610
    @andyguy0610 Před 3 lety +151

    Sends my Vertigo into overdrive every time I watch this! In His 50's, smoked, enjoyed a pint and can do a 300ft vertical ladder climb with 2 5ft overhangs to negotiate, balls of steel!!! Max respect to a real man, sadly missed, not many like him left now

    • @grantodamax
      @grantodamax Před 2 lety +22

      I wonder if he had his ladders specially built for him. As to support the weight of his balls

    • @legion999
      @legion999 Před 2 lety

      Yeah because they all died in workplace accidents due to lack H&S regulations

  • @Lee0568
    @Lee0568 Před rokem +1

    Watching this now in 2022,I get butterflies in my stomach watching Fred climb the overhangs

  • @volvoheadgasket
    @volvoheadgasket Před 6 lety +174

    men like fred dibnah made this country great .

    • @fohdeesha
      @fohdeesha Před 6 lety +6

      volvoheadgasket as an American - completely agree!

    • @solatiumz
      @solatiumz Před 6 lety +3

      Standing on the shoulders of giants.

    • @RB-ts9kz
      @RB-ts9kz Před 5 lety +1

      And look what happened ,, sad times

    • @InDisskyS131
      @InDisskyS131 Před 5 lety +1

      No one in this whole comment section mentions the men that built this, only one man that cleans it. A bit strange I'd say.