Trolle brought to my attention that some of you may not have heard of that great ‘back street engineer’ Fred Dibnah. So, I thought I’d share some of his story with you.
Fred Dibnah became famous as a steeplejack, both repairing mill chimneys and tall buildings and later, knocking them down. He was an ordinary working man of humble orirign in the north of England. His genuine interest in engineering and steam engines captured the public and media’s imagination and he became a national treasure. Fred died in 2004 after making, I think, 9 television series. He had a few bikes too.
I’m not a huge fan of steam engines, which were Fred’s main interest, but I, like so many, was captivated by Fred’s presentation of all things involved with engineering and the industrial revolution.This video shows Fred , gritty and grimy and was made just as Fred was coming to public recognition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3xKKdz0Fu4 Fred’s philosophy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkRAmp0waRk&feature=relatedSeveral television series’ followed about Freds life and interests in steam engines and engineering. He owned a couple of old British bikes too and was gutted when they had to be sold to fund divorce settlement.
When Fred was older he became more involved with television programmes and presented several BBC television series focussing on, technology of the industrial revolution, steel production, manufacturing and of course all kinds of steam engines. OK that may sound dull but these programmes had 'prime tv time slots' and were truly fascinating to watch and very popular. Especially with all of us who enjoy working on our own machines and perhaps see a bit of ouselves in Fred.
Fred was just an ordinary working man sharing his philosophy and interests. With no pretentions and a lot of enthusiasm, he was both an interested and interesting man and became far more than a celebrity. A highly respected gent, Fred received an MBE from the queen and 2 honorary university doctorates (Phd). When asked for what specialty he had been made a doctor of Fred replied ‘back street engineer’!
You tube doesn’t have Fred Dibnah’s really interesting stuff cos of copyright laws but if you’re looking for a christmas present and you’ve never seen Fred Dibnah I would highly recommend a DVD from Amazon.
