American who is afraid of heights Reacts to Fred Dibnah Laddering a Chimney Part 1 & 2

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  • čas přidán 20. 04. 2021
  • How high up does this guy go unharnessed? Watch and see but be aware if a stomach turner.
    Original part 1: • Fred Dibnah laddering ...
    Original Part 2: • Fred Dibnah laddering ...
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Komentáře • 2,2K

  • @TheRealSquirrel
    @TheRealSquirrel  Před 3 lety +110

    The next upload coming in a couple hours is A MUST WATCH if you want to see a reaction to heights. Holy crap!

    • @LiverpoolLass
      @LiverpoolLass Před 3 lety +13

      @Hey Look Squirrel another great reaction, keep them coming. 👍🇬🇧 Totally sympathize with you on heights I cant go further than 4th run of a ladder.

    • @JonsTunes
      @JonsTunes Před 3 lety +2

      Oooh yay, I hope it's the video I'm thinking of 🤷‍♂️

    • @LiverpoolLass
      @LiverpoolLass Před 3 lety +6

      @@JonsTunes you mean the one where he climbs the edge of the chimney. That got to me, that one definitely.

    • @TheRealSquirrel
      @TheRealSquirrel  Před 3 lety +4

      @@JonsTunes el Camino del Rey

    • @LiverpoolLass
      @LiverpoolLass Před 3 lety +1

      @@TheRealSquirrel Please react to Dave Allen religious jokes and sketches. It isn't offensive just funny. Has 4.8 mill views. It's on DutchPastaGuy channel. It's about 13minutes long. Thanks 😊

  • @lizwilliams4403
    @lizwilliams4403 Před 2 lety +599

    Fred was 66 when he passed away and it was in 2004 he was my uncle and it’s so nice to see people from all over the world watching him xx

    • @Buster_Piles
      @Buster_Piles Před 2 lety +28

      ❤ he was a wonderful man. Gave me many hours of smiles watching his telly shows. Very much missed by many I'm sure.

    • @suckered1316
      @suckered1316 Před rokem +28

      Your uncle is a national treasure , remembered with fondness by millions , you must be proud. I have one of his old scaffold boards.

    • @kevinjackson7340
      @kevinjackson7340 Před rokem +13

      sadly, i never got to meet Fred, god bless him.

    • @lizwilliams4403
      @lizwilliams4403 Před rokem +31

      Thank you for all you lovely replies he was an amazing man who is sadly missed by many people there will never be another man like him x

    • @grindelston5968
      @grindelston5968 Před rokem +14

      He were ace. Reminds me so much of my dad and m my cousins and uncles.
      I've still got loads of freds independent programme s on dvd

  • @paddymcginty1264
    @paddymcginty1264 Před 3 lety +643

    When ladders were made of wood and men were made of steel.

  • @flashtheoriginal
    @flashtheoriginal Před 2 lety +238

    No safety net
    No hard hat
    No body harness
    No gloves
    No fear
    A lifetime of experience
    Application to the job
    Proud to earn a living in an honest way
    What an Englishman
    Really enjoyed your understanding of all of this - and the respect you showed.

    • @johnnysheridan
      @johnnysheridan Před 2 lety +15

      * and a couple of pints to settle the nerves😂😂🙈

    • @jamesyoung8360
      @jamesyoung8360 Před 2 lety +8

      Well said

    • @junctionfilms6348
      @junctionfilms6348 Před rokem +4

      not sure what English has got to do with it, everywhere was like this at one time and though some UK health and safety regs are absurd, there is also a very good reason we do not do this anymore. It is absurdly dangerous and foolish in fact, no matter how experienced. Romanticising this is ok in a nostalgic sense but fact is, hundreds of people died like this in the past in construction, shipyards and so on or were left with horrific injuries. Nothing at all romantic and wonderful about that.

    • @truckerfromreno
      @truckerfromreno Před rokem +1

      And a ciggy hanging out of his gob.

    • @rogerwolstenholme2710
      @rogerwolstenholme2710 Před rokem +1

      And he died in bed!!!!! RIP Fred,

  • @dillbuckler1239
    @dillbuckler1239 Před 2 lety +162

    The ladders are temporary which is why the plug wood wasn't treated..they never stayed up longer than the job required. The holes were drilled the 1st time he went up and were used over and over again as the chimneys needed repointing. Near the 1st bottom hole you can see about of pointing which has the initials " FD"and the date scrawled into it 😊

    • @danielclough86
      @danielclough86 Před rokem +1

      How did they repoint an entire chimney stack from a single ladder? its fascinating watching these old vids

    • @danieldunlavey6901
      @danieldunlavey6901 Před rokem +12

      @@danielclough86 he built a working flying scaffold that surrounds the chimney and allowed him to get off the ladder and work all round the structure - he built them first at the top and then rebuilt them several times to cover the whole thing. There is a video on CZcams where he shows how it's done

    • @danielclough86
      @danielclough86 Před rokem +3

      @@danieldunlavey6901 Brilliant, thanks for taking the time to reply!

  • @joansmith8215
    @joansmith8215 Před 2 lety +112

    The Yanks invented Spider Man. The U.K. invented Fred Dibnah. What a legend. Could never be replaced. R.I.P. Fred.

  • @MERISI001
    @MERISI001 Před 3 lety +386

    I was a risk consultant and I was asked by Fred's insurance company to have a word with him about safety. What a waste of time. Fred knew exactly how to do it safely. What a character. They don't make them like him anymore.

    • @davidelliott5843
      @davidelliott5843 Před 2 lety +23

      Someone asked Fred if he’d ever fallen. “Not yet”, said Fred.

    • @benmundin71
      @benmundin71 Před 2 lety +15

      @@davidelliott5843 "you only fall once" hell of a guy

    • @lordbelvoir2543
      @lordbelvoir2543 Před 2 lety +19

      It's an afternoon with the undertaker

    • @intothewild5045
      @intothewild5045 Před 2 lety +7

      @@lordbelvoir2543 hahaha. Yeah that's right. Ha brilliant. What a guy hey. Women beer an chimneys.

    • @lordbelvoir2543
      @lordbelvoir2543 Před 2 lety +10

      @@intothewild5045 and dont forget "steam".... 🍻👍

  • @richardspence6672
    @richardspence6672 Před 2 lety +87

    Fred is a working class hero he is a legend .a common man who continued to educate himself and others all his life.

  • @Stefan_Kawalec
    @Stefan_Kawalec Před 2 lety +28

    "As you get a bit higher up, the holes have a tendency to get a bit deeper; I think it's called fear" - Fred Dibnah.

  • @IanDarley
    @IanDarley Před 3 lety +208

    The steeplejack's ladder is removed after work is complete and the holes will be re pointed with cement from the top down as the ladders are removed to keep water out. Edit: You got it 😉

  • @laddersman
    @laddersman Před 3 lety +301

    i went to Fred's funeral back in 2004 in Bolton it was a rainy day BUT the crowds where large paying their respects to a great man . in the cemetery a minute long blow of the steam engines . Fred was and is a Legend .

    • @flasheart3817
      @flasheart3817 Před 3 lety +6

      Just watched a video of Fred's funeral and it looked something to behold

    • @robertmcgivern565
      @robertmcgivern565 Před 2 lety +13

      The health and safety executive should do an extensively study of Fred and the legacy he's left behind on film. Never mind, all the whoa, omg sod that stuff. Those dopey daft bastards from HSE would instantly ground Fred today if they had half a chance. Yet there's potentially so much they could learn, one or two fundamentals of what safety at work should actually be about ,outside of that monotonous, zero tolerant world of glasses, gloves, mask, hard hat, boots, hi viz , gauntlets, not to mention those cscs or any number of neverending stupid poxy cards we all have to pay for and absolutely must have. You know, I could go on, and on and on and guess what, It's apparently still very dangerous a building site ,who'd a thought that ? RIP Fred.

    • @trevorevans1508
      @trevorevans1508 Před 2 lety +3

      God bless a good man & all of us 🇬🇧📣✌️🥸

    • @kmag7122
      @kmag7122 Před 2 lety +1

      he was a amazing beautiful guy 👍🇬🇧👍⚘

    • @davidelliott5843
      @davidelliott5843 Před 2 lety +4

      Fred”s chimney demolition with telegraph pole pit props was stunning to behold.

  • @jeffsparey9585
    @jeffsparey9585 Před 2 lety +59

    Fred was truly a British working class icon and his kind are sadly missed

  • @iancarnell5020
    @iancarnell5020 Před 21 dnem +4

    Fred used to go to the pub at lunch time and have a beer. Then back on the ladder's. The thing that amazes me was him doing ladder's on the overhang at the top of a two hundred foot chimney. That really used to make my toes curl !

  • @charlestaylor9424
    @charlestaylor9424 Před 3 lety +144

    The perfect answer to health and safety, "he can't do that" - well you climb up and tell him.

    • @djdeemz7651
      @djdeemz7651 Před 8 dny

      I have worked at a lot of places and some places have quite relaxed health and safety rules and some have excessive rules and what’s weird is the places where they was an excessive amount seemed to have a lot of injuries and incidents but at the relaxed places there was never any at all yet all the places were warehouses with the same hazards and equipment etc I also worked somewhere with incredibly strike rules and overbearing management for example if you went to the toilet you had paper work to fill out with how long you were and what cubicle you used … yeah insane mind boggling rules … yet at the same time it had the worst shop floor horse play and pranks etc and the most sackings , it’s like the rules create the madness to justify their existence

  • @karlharrison6544
    @karlharrison6544 Před 3 lety +124

    The term Legend is used way too freely nowadays but in Fred Dibnah's case it is fully deserved. He could turn his hand to anything and was so "ordinary" in the way he went about doing it all. He had the kind of brilliant, down to Earth, Northern humility and a way of describing things in layman's terms that was so infectious. If you were ever lucky enough to have a teacher like him you would be able to master anything. Yeah, Fred was and always will be an absolute LEGEND.

  • @panchopuskas1
    @panchopuskas1 Před 2 lety +36

    Behind every great engineer like Brunel, there was always somebody like Fred Dibnah that made it all work.

    • @user-mo5hz9kp6y
      @user-mo5hz9kp6y Před rokem +1

      If given a big 3D printer that could use anything and all the material he needed, I wonder what he would want make?

  • @sugarbertie1143
    @sugarbertie1143 Před rokem +16

    The look on your face is priceless! The one and only Fred. There was and never will be a man like him. God rest his soul.

    • @TheRealSquirrel
      @TheRealSquirrel  Před rokem +2

      Fred was a gem I'm so glad I discovered through doing this channel! Thank you for watching.

  • @nataliedavies14
    @nataliedavies14 Před 3 lety +89

    This chimney is in my hometown of Atherton (North West England). From being a child just standing at the bottom and looking up to the top still makes me feel dizzy. Fred will always be a legend in this part of the world

    • @marksouthern6588
      @marksouthern6588 Před rokem

      Yeah..as soon as I saw the green n white stripe round the chimney knew it was ena mill 😊

    • @user-ww8it6oq6u
      @user-ww8it6oq6u Před měsícem

      What a guy he should have been prime minister more balls and common sense than any politicians will ever have.

  • @BerlietGBC
    @BerlietGBC Před 3 lety +85

    I watched Fred from the original 40 minutes program when I was a teenager , the man is a legend to a lot of us in the UK

  • @8-bitsteve500
    @8-bitsteve500 Před 2 lety +49

    A national treasure our Fred was, miss him a lot.

  • @battonfive
    @battonfive Před 2 lety +78

    RIP Fred, such a cracking fella, he was a real celebrity here when I was a kid, far more famous than any footballer or sports player, real treasure of the north of england, never heard a bad word about the chap. Used to make me laugh how he had a few pints before going up there, totally immune to heights, real lust for life, would have made a great astraunaut. Not many like him here now.

    • @Eleventhearlofmars
      @Eleventhearlofmars Před rokem +4

      Kids of today would be far better off having a guy like Fred as a role model than any of these modern day footballers or Rap artists. The man was a grafter who always seemed to have black grimy working hands and he’d gladly eat his sandwiches with his hands like that, that’s a proper man, not a namby pamby footballer who gets touched on the pitch and goes down like he’s been shot.

    • @grindelston5968
      @grindelston5968 Před rokem +2

      Very true

  • @1889jonny
    @1889jonny Před 3 lety +56

    I did an apprenticeship in demolition before I joined the army, in 1986 Fred did the scaffolding for a steel works chimney we had to demolish by knocking the bricks from under our feet, he lowered the complete scaffolding by hand every morning before we started work, an amazing thing to watch. He was almost certainly one of, if not the best steeplejacks ever.

    • @RubberstampkingCoUk
      @RubberstampkingCoUk Před 2 lety

      I think he was the best in my opinion and I also think he knew he was! They don't make them like Fred anymore. I have no more words

  • @andrewmogg591
    @andrewmogg591 Před 3 lety +74

    One of my favourite episodes of Fred's work was where they questioned him about his lunchtime visits to the pub, and subsequently returning to work at the top of a 200' chimney half pissed.

    • @pigknickers2975
      @pigknickers2975 Před 2 lety +10

      It's right. He''s gone up there with 3 or 4 pints in him. Or what about when he smokes a ciggie up there. Love him.

    • @203MPH
      @203MPH Před 2 lety +3

      In one of his videos he explained you need a pint before going up the ladder. Nobody in his sober mind would climb up a chimney.
      The wooden pegs are just temporary. After the work at the top is done the ladders get removed and the holes filled with cement.

  • @christaylor4145
    @christaylor4145 Před 2 lety +63

    Fred was just real old school , and apart from being a brilliant steeple Jack, he was a very clever man he rebuilt old steam engines, and he was great at drawing , he did a series in the U.K. on ancient buildings and used his own architectural drawings to explain various building methods and they were superb. Rest in peace Fred , from someone who gets dizzy on the fourth step of a step ladder.

    • @johnslattery6194
      @johnslattery6194 Před 2 lety +5

      One of my heroes sad i never met him even tho i only lived 20 miles away although i phoned him a couple of times but he was out doing his stuff just add that he also trained at first as a carpenter before going steeplejacking

    • @RestWithin
      @RestWithin Před 2 lety +2

      Courageous man, Fred Dibner. That was a brilliant series.

    • @TheVideoLounge
      @TheVideoLounge Před 2 lety

      @@johnslattery6194 How come you phoned him a couple of times ?

    • @taffythegreat1986
      @taffythegreat1986 Před 2 lety +2

      Don’t forget on his small holding. He was also digging a mine shaft and bricking up the walls on his way down

    • @vordman
      @vordman Před 2 lety +1

      I think he was an art student once but found the gentle pursuit of climbing around overhangs at 300 feet more appealing.

  • @garethmayhew1676
    @garethmayhew1676 Před 2 lety +22

    This is a guy who appealed to all. Something about his approach to life was just fantastic.
    Legend.

  • @BladeCPL
    @BladeCPL Před 3 lety +55

    When Fred said he had "laddered" it about 7 times he means he has worked on that chimney numerous times and each time required ladders to be erected. He did not mean 7 sets of ladders...

    • @jackmason4374
      @jackmason4374 Před 3 lety +2

      I always thought he said he was “bladdered” 😂

  • @duanepipe5277
    @duanepipe5277 Před 3 lety +58

    His greatest passion was his traction engine ,he totally rebuilt it himself, a simple man but a genius mind

    • @franl155
      @franl155 Před 3 lety +4

      He started a second career out of it, as other traction engine owners would pay him to fix their problems.

  • @Swampster70
    @Swampster70 Před 2 lety +20

    I used to live in the town that Fred came from - Bolton.
    The cemented holes were there because of previous work done to repair the chimney every decade or so. Given the wind, rain and freezing weather of Northern England, the cement/pointing doesn't last the life of a chimney, which is why he's been up and down that chimney over a half dozen times.
    Like most skilled tradesmen, Fred will know by sound and feel whether his ladders or other things made from wood were rotten. The reason he doesn't leave the ladders up there is that ladders are expensive and he probably went up a couple of dozen different chimneys a year.

    • @lizwilliams4403
      @lizwilliams4403 Před rokem +1

      Fred was born and bred in hull then moved to Bolton later on in his life

  • @drewwhy5541
    @drewwhy5541 Před měsícem +2

    Thank you for watching OUR Fred and getting his wonderful story to a wider audience. He’s a national treasure and we love the man to bits. ❤ RIP Fred ❤

  • @GlennWW
    @GlennWW Před 3 lety +23

    The ladders are TEMPORARY for maintenance, not permanent, therefore not in place long enough for the wood plugs to rot. The holes were made for previous maintenance ladder rigging, (probably by Fred) then cemented up after completion.

  • @robertsnare1411
    @robertsnare1411 Před 3 lety +32

    The legend that was Fred Dibnah, we’ll never see his like again.

    • @chrisdansey2600
      @chrisdansey2600 Před 3 lety +4

      We still have Guy Martin

    • @ajorngjdonaydbr
      @ajorngjdonaydbr Před 2 lety

      @@chrisdansey2600 don't think guy Martin has any balls to ladder a 200ft chimney

  • @RiflemanMoore
    @RiflemanMoore Před rokem +8

    The most gut wrenching scene I've watched with Fred is from one of his earlier ventures taking a chimney down brick by brick. He stands on the top edge of the brickwork a few inches from the edge of the chimney opening and starts kicking loose masonry off the edge, meaning he's balancing on the edge on one leg. Always gets me. Very interesting to watch someone else's reaction to this sort of thing I must say!

  • @DOCTORDROTT
    @DOCTORDROTT Před 29 dny +2

    Fred was a great guy and a good friend. His trade was a joiner originally but became a well respected engineer and broadcaster. RIP Fred

  • @steeveedee4307
    @steeveedee4307 Před 3 lety +24

    The plug holes were there from Fred previously climbing the chimney years before. The guy watching him was his employee who sent stuff up to him on the ropes. The ladders only stay up for the duration of the job then they are removed and stuffed back on the rack on the Land Rover and on to the next job. But he liked a few pints of beer at lunchtime before going back up the ladders. An absolute legend of a man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • @ManxAndy
    @ManxAndy Před 3 lety +62

    They broke the mould when Fred was born 👍💪🇮🇲

  • @grahamhawthorn2320
    @grahamhawthorn2320 Před rokem +7

    I have always been amazed that Fred could climb a ladder with balls that big. Legend.

  • @Spohcsom
    @Spohcsom Před rokem +3

    Fred Dibnah is a British icon. He is a human who truly lived his life to the max. He was hard as nails and was scared of nothing. He did not waste his life watching CZcams videos. If you can accomplish 5% of what Fred did, you will live a full life.

  • @henryb4701
    @henryb4701 Před 3 lety +31

    Fred builds the ladder up to get to the top so he can do his maintenance work that he's employed to do then he'll remove the ladders when all the works done.
    His ladders go home with him...A legend he was.

    • @lightaces
      @lightaces Před 3 lety +1

      Well, the ladders come down once the mill owner pays!

  • @johndobb4723
    @johndobb4723 Před 3 lety +35

    I once fell off a 30ft ladder and I didn't hurt myself . . I was stood on the bottom rung at the time mind you 👍

  • @rupertmiller4718
    @rupertmiller4718 Před 2 lety +24

    I remember the media discovering Fred, who had hitherto just been going about his business. He was an absolute natural for the cameras chatting away cooly explaining what he was doing; which on the scale of dangerous things was pretty much right up there. He was an absolute star whether steeplejacking or in his last years messing around with steam engines. Legend doesn't even begin to describe him.

    • @Buster_Piles
      @Buster_Piles Před 2 lety +3

      He was a lovely man. A real man.

    • @catherinerobilliard7662
      @catherinerobilliard7662 Před 2 lety +2

      I wish men were made like that these days; we’re lucky if they even identify as men.

    • @kildogery
      @kildogery Před rokem

      @@catherinerobilliard7662 the internet has broken your brain 🤣

  • @5amH45lam
    @5amH45lam Před rokem +1

    I'm from Mr Dibnah's neck of the woods. As a boisterous 80s ADD kid (undiagnosed until recently) very little sat me still for half an hour as a child like watching Fred Dibnah did.
    His warm nature, charm and abilities as a raconteur had me captivated from a young age. I lost both grandfather's before I was the age of 4, so that might have something to do with it perhaps.
    Anyway, when Fred was on the box, my folks used to plant me in front of the TV for some respite themselves, so I've been told!
    He's much loved by all round here. Gone, but not forgotten. Indeed, missed by many. RIP Fred.

  • @lescowan
    @lescowan Před 3 lety +51

    Just an old time working man who was fantastic at his job, great with people and fascinating to watch.

    • @dave_h_8742
      @dave_h_8742 Před 3 lety +1

      "You didnt tend to last long if you weren't good at the job" said Fred in that pub interview

  • @thecoachmansfolly
    @thecoachmansfolly Před 3 lety +58

    To get a true idea of how much this guy was loved and admired by the people you need to watch and react the video of his funeral. It’s on CZcams titled “The Day Bolton Stood Still”

  • @riz8437
    @riz8437 Před 17 dny +2

    Love watching Fred and even though i know he didn't fall, my hands and feet are tingling just watching.

  • @jimmyjames2303
    @jimmyjames2303 Před 2 lety +8

    Rest in peace, Fred. Fearlessness, common sense, passion, and genius in equal measures. A true Legend.

  • @teanosuger
    @teanosuger Před 3 lety +34

    Don’t forget to watch how he puts the scaffold around the top😃

    • @Richard_Ashton
      @Richard_Ashton Před 3 lety +2

      Hauling up steel tube and planks to make a walkway around the chimney is yet another delight.
      This is just inspection / estimate. When he goes to work on that chimney, he makes a complete circular platform. Bloody amazing.

  • @paulw1798
    @paulw1798 Před 3 lety +22

    Makes me proud to be British.RIP Fred

  • @DaveyL1954
    @DaveyL1954 Před 2 lety +3

    Fred came to Doncaster Yorkshire on an open day Steam Raleigh, and I had the most wonderful experience chatting to him briefly. He was kind and had time to talk to everybody. A great man with truly nerves of steel.

  • @lariberaaltamalc
    @lariberaaltamalc Před 2 lety +8

    Turns my guts to water every time I watch him. He was a strange and wonderful man.

  • @paulmarsh3330
    @paulmarsh3330 Před 3 lety +13

    Don't forget that it's not the fall that kills you,but the sudden stop at the end!!

  • @FrugalLife
    @FrugalLife Před 3 lety +32

    The knowledge fred had would fill an encyclopaedia 10x over

  • @deeharris1908
    @deeharris1908 Před 24 dny +1

    This gentleman is a british icon, and the way he brings dn a stack is unique also, he has laddered this stack previously for repair which is why he knows were the plug holes are located for further laddering

  • @neilgriffiths3042
    @neilgriffiths3042 Před 2 lety +5

    We met fred at a steam rally some years ago , and he took us around the arena on his traction engine , he was a bit worse for wear , but was absolutely adorable .

  • @aanunkitch2426
    @aanunkitch2426 Před 3 lety +35

    I think its sad to think that people like Fred, will soon be no longer part of our world.

    • @chrismario6371
      @chrismario6371 Před 3 lety +3

      They are still about it’s just health and safety culture is taking over the world.

    • @scott8847
      @scott8847 Před 3 lety +3

      People like Fred are alive and well you just don't know of any, not much appetite in the media for this kind of thing it doesn't conform well with the consumer culture they've created.

  • @j.dmetalhead7517
    @j.dmetalhead7517 Před 3 lety +25

    Fred was a legend. The man was fearless and most of all he was humble. I would have loved to have met him and shook his oil covered hand as he loved his steam engines. Fred used to repair chimneys as well as demolishing them. That's why he had holes already in the chimney.

  • @yamabushi170
    @yamabushi170 Před 2 lety +1

    I bumped into Fred Dibnah in an indian restaurant in blackburn over 20 years ago. Even when out with his family for an evening meal he was wearing his flat cap and boiler suit jacket. Absolute legend

  • @jeremytarling5164
    @jeremytarling5164 Před rokem +2

    As someone who's watched the original video many times, and is somewhat scared of heights, I love the way people react to Fred at the top of the second ladder when I know there are many many more to go! 🤣😂🤣

  • @dawnhauton7543
    @dawnhauton7543 Před 3 lety +13

    Fred Dibnah, is a national treasure ..... The man was so calm and precise, I doubt if anyone ever questioned his capabilities .... RIP Fred .

  • @misolgit6986
    @misolgit6986 Před 3 lety +43

    Fred is the perfect definition of what used to be called a Bluff Northerner usually by Southerners lol you got a job to do, you get on and do it

    • @paulbanks223
      @paulbanks223 Před 3 lety +13

      Given his chosen profession he probably had the level of awareness, level of concentration and skill as 20 of such people knitted together. His very life depended on every second and every move and he did it so casually. I know he liked a drink but I need a drink just watching him.

    • @borntoclimb7116
      @borntoclimb7116 Před 3 lety +2

      true

    • @DieyoungDiefast
      @DieyoungDiefast Před 3 lety +7

      I'm a southerner and in my book Fred was an absolute legend. No reliance on technology, just age old methods that have worked for years. As they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

    • @duggiebader1798
      @duggiebader1798 Před 3 lety +5

      Here we go. Another professional "Northerner" claiming they're hard done by, yet tougher than anyone born and raised on a lower latitude.
      Logically, this would mean folks born in Scotland are tougher than you. And those from Orkney must be built like Greek Gods.
      What folks in the "north" of England mean is they don't like people in southern England, namely London. Theu have preconceived notions of what people are like and what they think of them.
      As a man born amd bred in central England with parents from Leeds and East London I have seen first hand this northern prejudice of looking down on folks from the south. Southerners couldn't give a shit.
      Anyway. Fred was a legend. In his own right. He was respected north, south east and west. A real gent and very intelligent craftsmen.

  • @cheshirebowman4465
    @cheshirebowman4465 Před rokem +2

    I met the guy several times mostly at traction engine rallies. Had some great conversations and parties at night times sitting around the rally fires. Top man and great engineer. RIP Fred.

  • @IamBATMAN2024
    @IamBATMAN2024 Před 2 lety +5

    Fred is an English national treasure! What a guy! 💪

  • @elainewhite4995
    @elainewhite4995 Před 3 lety +21

    Fred was like a national treasure when I was growing up he used to be quiet a celebrity but also a very down to earth man

    • @kazum95wolfie18
      @kazum95wolfie18 Před 3 lety +1

      I went an seen his steam engines when i were a kid was me grandads best mate :)

    • @charliegeorge9393
      @charliegeorge9393 Před 2 lety

      just as well he never came too down to earth...

    • @IamBATMAN2024
      @IamBATMAN2024 Před 2 lety

      He is a national treasure!

  • @rogerleyster4306
    @rogerleyster4306 Před 3 lety +17

    Putting the platform up is equally as jaw dropping! Love it.

  • @mickparker3726
    @mickparker3726 Před 2 lety +3

    How Fred can climb that chimney with titanium balls the size of space hoppers is an art in itself.

  • @deanmitchell4233
    @deanmitchell4233 Před rokem +2

    Legend, the strength and stamina needed for his job is mind boggling, his grip omg, must have been like a vice.. they broke the mould with Fred, an amazing man...sadly missed.

  • @robertkirk4387
    @robertkirk4387 Před 3 lety +122

    let's see these muscle bound, tattooed, pretty boys do this job then.

    • @jeffhubbard4688
      @jeffhubbard4688 Před 3 lety +6

      Why them? Have you had a go? I doubt muscle bound, tattoed, pretty boys did the job back then either! Too busy joining the merchant marine.

    • @dave_h_8742
      @dave_h_8742 Před 3 lety +6

      @@jeffhubbard4688 Ooh hello sailor your a nice boy.
      (In a Dick Emery voice)

    • @jeffhubbard4688
      @jeffhubbard4688 Před 3 lety

      @@dave_h_8742 What are you: the ship?

    • @MonkeySaurusPants
      @MonkeySaurusPants Před 2 lety

      Let's see you do this job then.

    • @DeclanGilmartin
      @DeclanGilmartin Před 2 lety +2

      Apart from no fear of heights, incredible bravery he must have had very strong upper and lower body strength. No need for him to attend a gym.. apart from that he often went up with a few pints inside him and then smoked away while working at that height

  • @tomsmith9208
    @tomsmith9208 Před 3 lety +19

    Never tire of watching these... genuinely. Have a look at “how to climb a chimney overhang at 50+” ive watched it so many times and my brain still can’t compute how someone’s mind allows them to feel no fear while doing something so fraught with danger at just one wrong move.

  • @craigfulton3316
    @craigfulton3316 Před 2 lety +1

    Fred was a real man. His knowledge was vast and varied. The man was a joy to listen to. It is rare to have a presenter who is a true expert in the subject matter. Not only did he have the theoretical knowledge but the man lived it.

  • @coastie1961
    @coastie1961 Před rokem +2

    Fred Dibnah, engineer, steeplejack and all round legend. Watched him on TV years ago, it was almost compulsory viewing if you knew he was going to be on.

  • @jiggermast
    @jiggermast Před 3 lety +58

    They broke the mould after Fred was born. I had a crack with him on the phone once, just as genuine a fella as you see here.
    My dad worked heights all his life, but even he winced somewhat when watching Fred Lol!

    • @plymouthrock5281
      @plymouthrock5281 Před 2 lety +1

      You're right, they did brake the mode with Fred. So Fred being Fred made another one from scratch in his backyard

    • @RubberstampkingCoUk
      @RubberstampkingCoUk Před 2 lety +1

      My Dad worked on live overhead electricity at height, but he wouldn't have done what Fred Did.

    • @Sycophants_should_suffer
      @Sycophants_should_suffer Před 2 lety

      @slingshotvibe what do you mean when you say you can't get your age group up a ladder? Wtf are you on about? People say such bullshit things 🤡

    • @ajorngjdonaydbr
      @ajorngjdonaydbr Před 2 lety +1

      @@Sycophants_should_suffer like you?

    • @Sycophants_should_suffer
      @Sycophants_should_suffer Před 2 lety +1

      @@ajorngjdonaydbr 😴

  • @myoldmate
    @myoldmate Před 3 lety +32

    I've said this before, how strong are his legs? The sheer height ( which gives me vertigo just watching ) and the relentless pressure of gravity must be tremendous, at his age I can only watch and applaud.

  • @waypointrichy3621
    @waypointrichy3621 Před 2 lety +4

    Fred was well known for his passion for all things Victorian and often commented that he was born at the wrong time. His working methods matched those of that era and he grew in popularity when a media company wanted to film him at work one day. I’ve been very fortunate to meet Fred, but very unfortunate that it was only on the one occasion. He was extremely knowledgeable and fascinating to speak to. If it had of been possible at the time, I would have happily spent several more hours in his company. He often joked that you only ever fall once and it’s half a day with the undertaker.

  • @mikevolante7663
    @mikevolante7663 Před rokem +2

    Fred was, is, and remains a legend, great skills, great brains, and without fear. His brains and skills kept him alive

  • @imprezaaudi
    @imprezaaudi Před 3 lety +4

    Fred from Lancashire, us Yorkshire folk had the upmost respect and admiration for his down to earth attitude and skill

  • @johngardiner6800
    @johngardiner6800 Před 3 lety +13

    The plug holes were made by Fred himself when he first climbed the stack and filled in when he removed his ladders, the timber plugs are removed before cementing in.

  • @brianartillery
    @brianartillery Před rokem +1

    Fred Dibnah. A British national treasure. A man born out of time - he'd happily have lived in Victorian times. He went effortlessly from Steeplejack to TV presenter, interested in everything. Brilliant at getting points across, and creating beautiful artwork and models to do so. They broke the mould with Fred. A true one off.

  • @watchman4todayreloaded192

    Fred is definitely a legend but it is soo funny watching and listening to Squirrel's reaction. Great stuff!

  • @aboutthemetal8783
    @aboutthemetal8783 Před 3 lety +15

    I grew up with blokes like Fred throughout the family, and as a 11yr old I started working for my uncles scaffolding company on Saturdays, and I used to climb scaffolding with no ladders, no safety harness or anything, but now I can't even go up a bloody ladder.
    Different times they were, proper salt of the earth guys like Fred were, every dinner time they were in the pub for a sandwich and five or six pints (within the hour) and then straight back up to the job.

    • @crus1n
      @crus1n Před 2 lety

      Just reach the top and "Oh bugger need to go down for a pee"

    • @leonardjames3524
      @leonardjames3524 Před 2 lety

      @@crus1n Or maybe don't bother to go down.

  • @darrenjones5885
    @darrenjones5885 Před 3 lety +29

    I grew up in the shadow of a mill chimney. Its now gone, along with the mill. They were impressive things. As was the sight of hundreds of workers leaving through the factory gates at the end of a shift. As kids we could play in the street as nobody had a garden and it was rare for a car to drive down it. If you could afford a car you wouldn’t be living next to the mill.

    • @backtoearth1983
      @backtoearth1983 Před 3 lety +2

      Mill's gone, Chimney's gone, and alas, so has Fred. Grew up watching his shows, an absolute legend with balls of steel.

    • @nataliedavies14
      @nataliedavies14 Před 3 lety +2

      The chimney and mill in this video still exist to this day. The ground floor of the mill has been converted to a shop and cafe

  • @MalcDavison
    @MalcDavison Před 2 lety +2

    I've watched Fred since I was a kid.....And I still get sweaty palms when I watch him.....Proper legend.

  • @chad0x
    @chad0x Před 2 lety +2

    Fred's a true legend. His laddering video's are absolutely nut. That's how the old boys used to do things.

  • @SuperTreemendus
    @SuperTreemendus Před 3 lety +4

    He's from Bolton where I live. Fellas are tough up here.

  • @richardrussell7082
    @richardrussell7082 Před 3 lety +4

    It's like being stuck at the top of a ladder and someone says "Just come down the same way you went up" ... "P**s off! I came up head first" >_

  • @RonD84
    @RonD84 Před 2 lety +2

    Fred had done some renovations on this chimney before and he used the same holes as before, he even signed the cement with his initials 👍🏻

  • @leonardosimm3536
    @leonardosimm3536 Před rokem +2

    Always fun to watch someone second-guessing an expert!

    • @TheRealSquirrel
      @TheRealSquirrel  Před rokem

      Yeah I had no idea what the hell he was doing haha. I respect Fred and understand now that I’ve learned through watching videos

  • @begbie672
    @begbie672 Před 3 lety +9

    Just a bloke that was good at his job with nerves of steel. They just don't make them like fred anymore..

  • @anthonyg4671
    @anthonyg4671 Před 3 lety +6

    remember that iconic photo of the New York skyscraper being built, and the men having lunch on a beam with legs dangling, not a safety harness in sight , think i would have passed out .

    • @TheRealSquirrel
      @TheRealSquirrel  Před 3 lety +2

      I can imagine that photo and it makes me anxious.

    • @swanseajaffa
      @swanseajaffa Před 29 dny

      They admitted recently in the papers that the photo of the New York workers was a fake and was done in a studio.

  • @jknight5991
    @jknight5991 Před rokem +1

    I live about 2 mile from where Fred used to live. Also stood at the sidelines at his funeral. There is also a statue in the town centre of Fred. I also met Fred on some of his jobs, the firm I worked for hired Fred some equipment and I went out to repair it. A very clever and underestimated bloke.

    • @TheRealSquirrel
      @TheRealSquirrel  Před rokem

      Someone commented one time imagine how much better he would have been without his vices, I replied they are probably part of what made it possible lol

  • @taffythegreat1986
    @taffythegreat1986 Před 2 lety +1

    Old Fred was a down to earth northern commoner no hairs and graces with Fred.
    When he took his family on holiday. He made sure he would take them where his job was. So the family was sunning it on the beach while he was working. Also he built a chimney on his terraced house. And now it is a listed monument.

  • @alexcrawford6162
    @alexcrawford6162 Před 3 lety +7

    It says 1989. It’ll be a date the chimney was worked on. The chimney would almost certainly have been build in the 19th century. The ladders are Fred’s, they only go up whilst work is going on, then they get taken down.

    • @highpath4776
      @highpath4776 Před 3 lety

      I think 1989 was the date of the filming (I lost track of the first broadcasts). But this is a fairly modern chimney.

  • @dannib69
    @dannib69 Před 3 lety +12

    Fred was and still is a legend absolute genius with his work and steam engines

  • @drake128
    @drake128 Před rokem +1

    I watched this chaps funeral procession with steam rollers and what not go past the place where I work , corner of Manchester Rd in Bolton. Few years later I watched 2 chaps do this on the chimney that's still there. Fascinating to watch. They ate their dinner on the top and took pictures , watched them throughout like a nosy sod.

  • @samanthaurwin4377
    @samanthaurwin4377 Před 2 lety +2

    Steeple Jack's don't exist no more .The man was a pure genius R.I.P. Fred Dibna

  • @aa-vu9vb
    @aa-vu9vb Před 3 lety +5

    Fred was a legend I love watching the scaffolding and how he pops to the pub for lunch.

  • @kenirving5240
    @kenirving5240 Před 3 lety +18

    When Fred leans back, I nearly pass out...

  • @devsedit
    @devsedit Před 2 lety +1

    He used to frighten the life out me, I cant even watch it, the man had the biggest balls in the world, and a British legend.

  • @55marise
    @55marise Před 2 lety +2

    Great video, Fred had nerves of steel,,, no fear, he is missed to this day , a Great British Man , and a hero , what a character 👌

  • @MetaFootballTV
    @MetaFootballTV Před 3 lety +23

    It's funny how they've got a MASSIVE crane to FILM the process, yet the work is done manually.
    😂😂😂😂

    • @philipm06
      @philipm06 Před 3 lety +1

      That was Fred's Tonka toy when he was young.

    • @MetaFootballTV
      @MetaFootballTV Před 3 lety +1

      @@philipm06 haha.
      Well, he's got one of his own.
      His train thingy is amazing.

  • @lizmacrae4970
    @lizmacrae4970 Před 3 lety +6

    And occasionally he came out of the pub to do this...and when questioned he said....well you wouldn’t want to do it sober....

  • @rafo6577
    @rafo6577 Před 2 lety +1

    Fred was a great man. My Dad got to know him from his many visits to Blackpool, from that I was invited to his place but sadly I never made it before he passed.