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Fred Dibnah

14th/20th King's Hussars soldiers1938 births2004 deaths20th-century British Army personnelBurials in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton
Deaths from bladder cancerDeaths from cancer in EnglandEnglish television presentersMembers of the Order of the British EmpirePages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to yPeople from BoltonSteeplejacks
Fred Dibnah in 1985
Fred Dibnah in 1985

Frederick Travis Dibnah, (29 April 1938 – 6 November 2004) was an English steeplejack and television personality, with a keen interest in mechanical engineering, who described himself as a "backstreet mechanic".When Dibnah was born, Britain relied heavily upon coal to fuel its industry. As a child, he was fascinated by the steam engines which powered the many textile mills in Bolton, but he paid particular attention to chimneys and the men who worked on them. He began his working life as a joiner, before becoming a steeplejack. From age 22, he served for two years in the Army Catering Corps of the British Army, undertaking his National Service. Once demobilised, he returned to steeplejacking but met with limited success until he was asked to repair Bolton's parish church. The resulting publicity provided a boost to his business, ensuring he was almost never out of work. In 1978, while making repairs to Bolton Town Hall, Dibnah was filmed by a regional BBC news crew. The BBC then commissioned a documentary, which followed the rough-hewn steeplejack as he worked on chimneys, interacted with his family and talked about his favourite hobby—steam. His Lanky manner and gentle, self-taught philosophical outlook proved popular with viewers and he featured in a number of television programmes. Toward the end of his life, the decline of Britain's industry was mirrored by a decline in his steeplejacking business and Dibnah increasingly came to rely on public appearances and after-dinner speaking to support his income. In 1998, he presented a programme on Britain's industrial history and went on to present a number of series, largely concerned with the Industrial Revolution and its mechanical and architectural legacy. He died from bladder cancer in November 2004, aged 66.

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Fred Dibnah
Radcliffe Road,

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Wikipedia: Fred DibnahContinue reading on Wikipedia

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Latitude Longitude
N 53.576561 ° E -2.413272 °
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Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre

Radcliffe Road
BL2 1NU , The Haulgh
England, United Kingdom
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Fred Dibnah in 1985
Fred Dibnah in 1985
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Bolton Interchange
Bolton Interchange

Bolton Interchange is a transport interchange combining Bolton railway station and Bolton Bus Station in the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. The station is located on the Manchester to Preston line and the Ribble Valley line, and is managed by Northern Trains. The station is 11+1⁄4 miles (18.1 km) north west of Manchester Piccadilly. Ticket gates have been in operation at the station since 2016. The railway station was originally named Bolton Trinity Street to differentiate it from nearby Bolton Great Moor Street station which closed in 1954. The station was also known as "Bridgeman Street Station" and "Bradford Square Station".From the railway station, there are frequent services to Manchester Victoria, Manchester Piccadilly, Clitheroe via Blackburn, Wigan North Western, and Preston. Services operating to Victoria and Piccadilly operate through and terminate at other regional stations, such as Manchester Airport and Stalybridge. There is 1 train per weekday from Southport to Leeds. There is no return service. The entrance and ticket office are at street level, at which there is a footbridge to the bus station and a taxi rank. A walkway leads to the platforms which are in a cutting. The main island platform has a buffet. The original main station building was demolished in the 1980s, but the Victorian buildings survive on the platforms. The clock tower was dismantled and rebuilt next to the new station.