Americans React to Fred Dibnah Laddering a Chimney | This is amazing!
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2024
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Reacting To My Roots
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In this video, we react to Fred Dibnah laddering a massive chimney stack. Watching him construct and climb his ladders with such precision and confidence is absolutely amazing. The sheer skill involved in being a steeplejack, combined with his fearless approach to working at great heights, is a true display of his remarkable expertise and courage.
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this Fred Dibnah reaction, please give it a thumbs up, share your thoughts in the comments, and subscribe as we continue exploring fascinating aspects of British history and culture.
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👉 Original Video:
• Fred Dibnah laddering ...
On the day of his funeral, the whole of Bolton stood still to pay there respects to a true son of Lancashire.
@@MrPauljohnhughes yes, I remember it well.
*their
Not only in Bolton mate but also us down in Cheshire, however my grandfather's family were from west Haughton
I was there. We gave him a decent send off.
I'm 63 and I have to be Honest it's brought a Few Tears .I Really respected the Man .one of my heroes.
He made ALL the original holes with hammer and chisel. Fred Dibnah was a true working class legend.
I think Steve is confused by the word 'drill' but what other word could he use for 'make a hole with a hammer and chisel'?
Yep, because “drill” nowadays usually means make a round hole with a drill, but it can also mean making a hole by other methods. English be confusing!!!
Kite and string - kite takes a thin string, or “leader” which is draped over the top of the chimney. The 2 ends of this is at the ground. Then they can attach a thicker rope to this and haul it up over the chimney. That’s my guess.
Regards safety, I think Fred has commented before - there are very few old, unsafe steeple jacks - it usually ends with half a day out with the undertaker!
Used what is/was called a dooking iron
I'm a roofer who has been in some very precarious positions on top of tall buildings in central London, in high winds, and felt like I could be swept to my demise at any second, but you couldn't pay me enough money to do this. Fred had balls of steel.
Absolutely! 😅 Not for me. haha
Me too mate. Roofer from Cumbria and there's not a chance in hell you'd get me up those suicide ladders let alone be the one fitting them.... I doubt you'll get me in that man basket camera guys using at that height.
"The top isn't tied yet" I remember when health and safety first came out with the rule "You must tie the top of the ladder before climbing up". We all said "How do you get up to the top of the ladder to tie it without going up then?" It's a catch 22 rule.
Yeah, that doesn't make much sense does it? 🤔
wet sops who've never seen a ladder before, never mind climb one.
Free climb the scaffolding and give the health and safety man a heart attack.
Once saw him driving his steam engine through my home town of Wigan. He waved to everyone on the route a true gentleman.
They dont make them like Fred Dinah anymore. True British legend
Fred Dibnah was a legend, married 3 times, he had 5 children. Fred sadly passed away from cancer in November 2004., that same year he was awarded the MBE from the Queen. Apart from his Steeplejack antics, his hobby was to buy old steam engines rebuild them and exhibit them at steam rallies. He would drive the steam roller around the country lanes, often with his kids piled into the cab with him. Two of his sons help restore steam engines to this day.
I love Lyndsey chuckling at the British understatements. "It's a bit tricky", when he's doing something utterly dangerous 😂
No doubt!
Fred was a legend!🏴
Sadly we don't make 'em like Fred anymore, end of an era :(
never did i think i'd be watching americans reacting to fred dibnah lol
As a ‘northern lass’ from a town 10 miles from Bolton. Fred Dibnah was required viewing in my home as a child/ teenager. He’s one of my working class heroes. A true Lancashire lad. Rewatching him regularly, marvelling at his skill and nerve.
Can definitely see why ❤️
Yes Fred was a Sunday night watch. Brought up north east of Bolton in Ramsbottom chimneys everywhere until mills closed down and chimneys came down. A few mills survive as museums like Helmshore that was used in a period series, Ludite rebellion, Sharpe episode. The accent changes within a few miles usually broader.
Fred had been doing this most of his life. He knew what he was doing. God bless him. ❤🙏🏻❤️
What's even more scarier is that in one of his videos he said he sometimes has a few pints of beer and then would climb up.
😬
He comes from my part of the world, and I grew up with Fred on the telly and amazing us all his life. Fred really was a legend, and type of working class hero the world is unlikely to ever see again. He did his National Service, and from 1962 onwards repaired and demolished chimneys, restored and drove steam engines, and earned his MBE in 2004. Hard hats? Softies. A proper worker has a flat cap. RIP Fred Dibnah MBE.
"Hard hats?Softies.A proper worker has a flat cap"
Brilliant mate!
He reminds me of my Dad's Dad.Back when men were men and women were ladies.
Many people (not me) dismiss Fred as a not too bright, although fearless, working class chap. but he was actually very clever. He was an excellent draughtsman and engineer and a true gentleman.
I think a lot of that is the old middle class attitude that nobody who works with his hands can be intelligent. It's a thing I've encountered many times, and it does get a bit old after a while. It comes from people who have absolutely no idea of the skills involved in occupations such as mechanical engineering or construction. As a retired machine tool setter myself, I have encountered people who would be amazed that someone like me had read Shakespeare and enjoyed classical music, because, 'people like you don't do that !'. Fred was a true 'Working Class Hero' who had a deep knowledge of history and many skills. I would have loved to spend an evening in the Pub talking to him.
From what we've seen of him he came across as very clever and knowledgable!
@@tonym480
This is so true my husband (retired now) was a mechanical engineer and worked all over the world in tin mines and coal mines. People forget and dismiss but if it wasn’t for men like you and my husband the country would come to a standstill. He is also educated and knowledgeable about world matters.
The man was a legend and new more tat counted than most of the population
It's always because people especially these days think anyone who does a hand trade are dumb and failed education I'm a young qualified carpenter and I think only one stranger said that it was cool I was a carpenter other than that people just act aloof
Fred's best ones are when he takes down a chimney old school no tnt,just wood paper tyres burn,to the ground..
I can't even get more than three steps up a stepladder before freezing, so the respect I have for this man, and all other people who do this type of work is immeasurable....
He came to put an inflatable Santa on top of my parents pub roof one year. Clambered up with a reporter hanging off a rope trying to interview him, with my dad hanging on to this 7ft tall Santa 😂
The term LEGEND is thrown around too often, but with Fred it was well deserved, and remember guys he would ladder both sides of the chimney like this, great reaction 🇬🇧
I met this guy a couple of times as a kid. Absolute legend!
So glad they filmed him and his knowledge
I had the pleasure of meeting Fred a few times. I also did a photo shoot at his yard. Many of these old school skills died along with Fred. R.I.P.
He's a legend. He just gets the job done.
in the 80's we used to watch fred on the bbc on a Sunday night ,I'm now 50 ,he was a great British icon and had balls of steel, it was the cancer that finally took this great man r.i.p legend. 😢
I am always so impressed by watching Fred Dibnah at work. How fit this man must have been!
and he smoked plus several pints a day!
He was one of the last of the generations who did 'real' manual work with out the aid of mechanised tools. That working continuously all day must have given you a kind of fitness that you don't see today. Even just climbing 200 ft of vertical ladders takes a huge amount of strength and stamina.
I'm 66 now and before he was famous when I was young he passed my house in Kearsley frequently going to steam rallies on his beloved steam engine Allison - changed to Betsy after his divorce. He used to stop for water for the engine at the local pub across the road from me The Man and Sythe to top up Allison up with water and us kids and fans used to run over to say hello. He was a lovely man, such a local legend. I often thought he would have been the perfect victorian gentleman, his knowledge on things of that age was second to none and would quite happily talk all day on the subject. Sorely missed. We all need characters like Fred. R.I.P
The next stage how he deals with the overhangs at the top with the ladders facing out over his head is incredible using planks of wood. Even though seeing it a number of times knowing he's going to make it, still can't help when watching holding on to something for dear life when watching.
Yeah, Lindsay was wondering about that 😅
A legend. I felt queasy from just watching him!
So glad that you came across and reacted to tbis gentleman, our Fred was such a character and a real national treasure. I find myself smiling when I watch his programmes. We love our Fred.
I grew up in this town and this Mill is still standing, Fred is low key a local hero for his casual fearlessness, people would turn up to watch him work.
Haha, Fred is my one little claim to fame. I used to live in Bolton and spotted him up Bolton Church spire one day.. He was right at the top repairing tiles.. Not even a safety helmet on. Ropes, two ladders and Fred!! Stood there ages watching him. This was well before he was famous and on TV.. He also used run the steam tractor through the town from time to time. Legend he was. Thank you sooo much.
I feel like a helmet's more trouble than it's worth at that height 😅
Can't imagine how impressive it would have been to see him at work in person! And jarring 😅
I met Fred at a steam rally in Somerset. His steam roller was ticking over outside the beer tent. He signed a copy of his book for me.
"Drilling" refers to the original term which was simply putting a hole into ir through something. "dripping" in this case refering to the Chisel & Mallet, knocking holes for the dogs.
Beat me to it 👍
No, dripping is the melted fat from meat, which he has on his bread. (Funny autocorrect) 😅
Drifting.
Amazing how he'd scale the dizzying heights of these old chimneys on rickety wooden ladders and a few bits of old rope. I watched one where he climbed all the way back down for a cheese sandwich and cup or tea for lunch...before making his way back to the top. A proper working class hero and a man that was truly respected around the country.
He was such an amazing man, who would believe a man taking chimneys down would seem such a hit , just goes to show what appeals to us. X
Mr Dibnah was a British legend, a man with metaphorical (and almost literal) balls of steel. I remember him saying in an interview he quoted seven thousand pounds for one job because he didn't really want to do it, the client agreed to pay so he won the contract .
I've seen this video a few times over the years, and although I understand the danger, it doesn't usually give me any anxiety anymore. This time was different - when they showed the first shot of Fred near the top, Lindsay's obvious shock and anxiety was infectious 😂
Thanks for a great reaction 😊
I remember watching Fred Dibnah on TV as a child. What a guy!
FRED was definitely born in the wrong century but HEALTH & SAFETY would never allow this today in the UK
I am a 70 year old carpenter. Worked in construction all my life. Fred would have used a pointing chisle. This is a cast metal flat to shaped to fit into the point work. The point work is the cement bonding the brickwork together. You usually use a 1 1/4 pound hammer. I stop using my pointing chisle over 30 years ago as battery SDSs tools have take over. Hope this helps .
He never used a drill he just chiselled out a hole.
He used a chisel and a hammer/mallet to make the holes
RIP Fred, I met Fred quite a few times, always an interesting guy, I used to take him wood cutoffs to his house for his fires, for his traction engine, forging etc. the drilling he’s talking about is just using a hammer & cold chisel. Hard graft doing that all day.
Fred Dibnah was a national treasure, a great chap xx
You need to watch him put up the scaffolding, now that is a work of art.
I used to watch him when I was a kid it's mad to think he's been gone for 20 years now
You need to see him erecting the scaffold after he has finished laddering. And also burning down a brick chimney.
You have just watched how he ‘drilled’ the original holes….he used a hammer, a cold chisel, skill and brute strength. You must remember you are watching FRED DIBNAH…he WAS SUPERHUMAN….and a very nice fella with it. They broke the mould after they made Fred.
Usually Fred put up two ladders - especially if he had to put staging up around the chimney - one ladder one side - another on the opposite side . Extremely hard work .
I'm scared of heights... Even watching this video was making me queasy. Fred was fearless, which I guess helps a lot!
Hi guys, Tony from Warwickshire, England 👋🏻 Fred does it all by hammer and chisel , may I suggest that watch all that’s available on RUclips about Fred is our national treasure . Love your videos 😊
Originally, the first holes would be done this way, no drill. Imagine doing this in winter up a two hundred foot+ chimney. This is the easier bit, planking is something else. Sometimes he has two ladder runs up one either side. He was building his Victorian steam engine back then and some work he done would be for a part of that engine. Fred was born for this.
Your reactions are as entertaining as Fred's amazing work!
😂
great reaction guys, another good one to watch is Fred Dibna How to climb a chimney overhang at 50 + years old great video love to see your reaction, I'm from UK Grimsby
The system of erecting ladders up a brick chimney is still in use today in the UK. The ladders he is installing are called Lancashire ladders, very strong ladders and have wooden rungs and steel load bearing rungs. It's interesting seeing his style of tying off compared to how we did this. Dogs system was used until the 2004 ish time period and now we use a drill to install eye bolts which are tested with a pull tester for safety reasons. I used to wrap the lashing tight around the dog which caused a greater tension and allows the dog to be knocked out during striping and not have to untie the lashing until they get back to the ground. Also it's interesting how he only used rope to splice as it's now common to have a splice iron and cheek iron to make it much quicker.
When you cut the mortar for a dog a cross cut chisel was used before insertion of the plug wood and they are very effective.
A safety line system is used now so you have a grab device so you can be attached at all times with your harness.
A lot of chimneys have steel bands installed so you can put the line through for stripping them down.
Different ladders are preferred for different chimneys. For example steel chimney stacks will be laddered using wire lashings for temperature resistance. Also Yorkshire ladders used to use ladder arms which used 2 dogs (left and right sides) top and bottom. A very slow process in comparison.
New rules are out now in place where three ties per ladder are required.
It's a common place for the inspection to be carried out and stripped within the day if it's not too tall.
Great video guys as always.
🌹🇬🇧🌹Fred was one of a kind
No, but he was the last of many. (At some point in history, someone had to teach Fred)
Let's not forget londonder Peter Harknett he worked as a steeplejack from aged 14yrs right into he's 80s . Maybe less well known but still a legend in my book 😊
Things made back then lasted far longer than the things made today.
Fred is one of a kind known way you can’t do that with health and safety . What you got to remember back in the days every tradesman was high skilled in their profession and they trusted his the people who worked for him. He probably used a plugging tool which is a peace of metal you hit one end the other end would the size of the fixing bolts
He says Drill, but it's actually just the term for making a hole!
I get so scared watching Fred do the height thing. He was awesome.
Wow - first time ever being the first viewer! Really enjoy your content guys - keep it up.
Thanks for supporting the channel and being part of the Roots Fam :)
Hand drilling was with a chisel & mallet ⅛ - ¼ turn of the chisel with each knock of the mallet.
Twist hit, twist and hit like mining / quarrying.
Take a look at "John Noaks(Blue Peter) climbs Nelson's coloumn"
Then marvel that the camera man did the same climb with a huge outside broadcast video cam on his shoulder😮
@@contessa.adella unsung "balls of steel" 😲
He says "drill", he means hammer and chisel it out. No drills were harmed in the making of this laddering.
Fred Dibnah was one of a kind.
Mate you're literally watching him drilling into the bricks as you ask the question. He's using a hammer and chisel.
Yes' but he's likely to be the only person most of us have ever heard calling chiselling 'drilling'.
But it's fairly easy to work out via context
@@thegroovetube3247 Depends if you've ever done such work. Drilling is the original term for creating a hole in eg rock - it never automatically meant a rotary tool was being used. It's just in recent times that many people only understand it that way.
Also he had to do the same thing on the opposite side of the chimney in order to erect the scaffold at the top...absolute legend...fearless RIP Fred 😊
Health and Safety definitely wouldn't allow this today - so Thank God we have these films of Fred at work! Fred died in 2004 at the age of 66 and I would guess he is in his late 40s here, so he's doing this in the 1980's?
Fred lived near my mum- in-law. He had nerves of steel and never bothered about health and safety rules. Look at some of his chimney videos. 😵. He even had a steam engine in his garden.
Even had a mine shaft in his garden to get coal!
He was very open about having a pint or 2 before going high. Steel workers used to drink small beer (1 - 2% aclohol) to kill bacteria in the water
He was very respected for his nerves of steel. Died too young, nothing to do with his job. At his funeral the streets were lined with people paying their respects. He was a Bolton lad through and through. He used to go to the Bradford Arms pub after work every day. He loved a smoke and a pint. Sadly most chimneys representing the industrial age are no longer there. There's a documentary about him showing how he demolished some of those chimneys....that's pretty hairy as he was handling dynamite related stuff. 😁 He was definitely a one off.😍
He's from the same town as me however I never met him but I used to see him occasionally driving around on his steam roller when I was younger.
Hammer & Chisel to "drill" the holes. I'm basically done after 5 minutes wielding a Lump-Hammer.
Useful Tip - Never get involved in a fight with someone who uses a Lump-Hammer all day, they'll hit you, and you'll stay hit.
My favourite quote - (Hits bricks whilst 200ft in the air, hanging on with one leg) - "Some of them are loose" (laughs)
I've swung a lump hammer all day in the past, cleaning up cement off old bricks was easy but "chasing out" grooves for the wiring in rock hard accrington bricks makes your forearm bones ache after several hours it's a bit painful
If you want to see how clever Fred was you need to see some of his Engineering video's (Fred Dibnah's Made In Britain). What you have to remember is that Chimney's were an Afterthought, they are called Steeple Jacks, as they were repairing Church Steeples. Churches have been around WAY before the 17th Centaury.
I have a few Fred Dibnah videos you have yet to see. The first shows off his innovation and the second is him dropping a tower building instead of a chimney
"Fred Dibnah demolishing Bolton's last fancy chimney brick by brick - 1983"
"Fred Dibnah fells Dart Mill tower, Bolton - 1985"
As someone from the next town, when I was growing up, we used to see Fred in his Land Rover regularly driving about. He used to go to traction engine rallies quite a bit too, saw him at a few of those.
Oh, and I don’t know about anyone else, but I know this, as a Lancastrian born and bred, we are the masters of the understatement! Next video clip should be watching how he negotiates the overhang. Enjoy 😊
No matter how many times I watch this I still have my heart in my mouth with anxiety. I know he doesn’t fall as I’ve watched it many times but you still feel that he could! Honestly, I just cannot imagine ever doing anything like this. What an amazing person, we don’t make them like that anymore. Thank you for taking the time to get to know a true legend.
Steve Google the bronze statue of Fred Dibnah in Bolton. It’s really good.
Apart from him being an unbelievable steeplejack and engineer. The technical drawings that he done were amazing. The mans talent was unbelievable.
Thank you for watching these videos.. my grandad Gordon was from Manchester and a carbon copy of Fred.. although not a steeplejack, my grandad was a machine operator making precision bearings (without the use of CNC obviously)
Seeing Fred reminds me of the amazing stories Gordon would tell, including his time joining the army at 16/17 at the tale end of WW2.
As mentioned by others here.. these men were incredibly intelligent and not respected enough for being working class.
You have to remember that he has maintained thus chimney several times and don't forget he has to ladder both sides of the chimney
You need to ,after watching this, watch a childrens Tv presenter John Noakes on a kids tv programme called Blue Peter, doing all sorts, including climbing up Nelsons Column in Trafalgar square to clean the bird poop of the statue
An incredible engineer and a superb, natural, mathematician.
Many years ago I was sat in my office looking out of the window as Fred started to demolish our 1917 factory chimney. He was sat on the top, one leg inside the chimney the other on the outside. All he has a hammer and he proceeded to knock that chimney down brick by brick!! You have to remember that most of our old factories where built in the middle of towns and cities, they could not be blown up so had to be dropped by hand.
My father was a steeplejack and just as crazy as dibnah. When he wasnt climbing something, he would work for for a union.
Much respect to your father as well! What a profession.
@@reactingtomyroots he used to take me with him when I used to be 9ish some brilliant views once you've climbed it
"Did you like that?" Fred Dibnah.
The kite technique would lay the string over the chimney and reach the ground at each side. The string would then be attached to thicker string and pulled over the chimney, then again until the rope was pulled across.
Fred was insane! No health and safety those days 😂 my dad spotted him in a pub in North Wales back in about 2000 and went to chat, he was a very lovely and friendly guy.
you don`t drill the Brick, you drill the mortar, he ususes a hammer and chisel. Just think guys the material for all those jeans your cowboys wore were made here in the cotton mills. so it`s your history he is knocking down too.
Denim cloth is made in France and Italy as the Lancashire Mills were not configured to do the distinctive over 3 under 1 weave that Denim has.
Watch the one where Fred puts up the scaffolding for the chimney, the man has balls the size of water melons and was a staple of TV viewing when I was growing up. Brilliant Engineer and communicator and sadly missed RIP Fred.
Steve, he probably used a hammer and chisel to make the original holes for the dogs, if he did use a drill, its no problem because the holes are in the mortar between the courses of bricks.
9:24 that's why you don't stand under the ladder. Fred has talked at length about the man on the ground and would never employ a young guy
True Legend Fred.
Simply a one off and greatly missed. 20 years this Nov 6th since his passing. RIP Fred
I met him when I was an apprentice in the mid 80's, the company I was working for had brought Fred in as an expert for a cooling tower, he was already a living legend by then, I think all I managed to say to him was "ey up" 😂 I was just in awe of him, what a bloke! God bless him
Fred is British icon. He had no fear and what a nice person. He was born in the wrong century. Love this channel ❤ TY. 🇬🇧
You need to see Fred doing the top that's makes you nervous when he has to start taking down the chimney. The man had amazing nerves of steel
My Taid (Welsh for Grandfather) worked in a slate mine, one of the biggest in the world (called Oakeley) and it was famous for it's huge underground caverns with really high ceilings, they used to tie ladders together then hang them from the ceiling on steel cables to make staircases for the miners to use, anyway, it was my Taids job to drill the holes for the dynamite, they had a metal rod (can't remember the name they gave them) and they'd simply hold it against the rock face and hit it with a hammer, that's how they drilled holes like Fred is doing, it was a special type of metal rod specially designed for the job though (not a chisel like Fred is using), but my Taid said sometimes it might take all day just to drill 2 or 3 holes as there's would be a few feet deep.
Drilling doesn't mean with a drill . What he's doing with a hammer and chisel is called drilling
Omg. I asked for this not long back on your comments!! Love that you've done this x
Fred was an absolute workhorse, you don't see the likes of today. He was definitely a national treasure and a nice bloke also. When you think today an initial inspection of a Chimney like that one would be done in a couple of hours or so, they would just send a Drone up and take some HD Film. How times have changed.
So great you're looking at Fred Dibnah. Such a legend and so full of interesting info!
I was lucky enough to work on repointing 1 of these old smokers... The views are great and you don't really consider the danger because you do your work properly and safely as possible. At lunchtime we used to sit on the top with our legs dangling over the side eating our fish and chips or whatever we had bought. Sadly most of these chimney's are long gone. Fred actually said something that was true "when you get older you drill a bit deeper" ....well eventually it happens to all of us and you suddenly realise that if anything goes wrong its bye bye to you My father got to his early 60's when he started staying on the ground but i only got to about 45-50 before i decided that anything above 30 feet and i was sending 1 of the younger lads up.
The northerners are a different breed in the UK
Same breed the country over. Southerners had tough jobs as well. The south had mines as well they were mining metal minerals and the stone quarries. Lets not forget the sailors that traveled the world which was one of the toughest jobs there was.
@@Mean-bj8wpAnd steeplejacks .
@@Mean-bj8wpyeah as if no one in South had any level of hardiness 😂.
@@cheryltotheg2880Aye, but the North had way more mills and chimneys 😂
@@andreakinuthia4197 the original comment said they were a different breed it didn’t refer to chimneys . There is always this weird divide I find baffling as if everyone down south is an aristocrat 😂
The fact that this man was able to walk around with balls as big as they must have been, is a wonder of the human body :)