Fred: The Definitive Biography Of Fred Dibnah

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The book can of course go much further than the series, including an extraordinarily account of Fred's childhood which evokes a lost England and our great industrial heritage.

Its pages are peppered with original photos of the buildings and their chimneys in their heyday where appropriate and the close-up shots of the drop preparation do give one a feeling of actually being there with him.Even as a young lad, Fred was considered by his family and also his contemporaries as being a little odd, rather eccentric, for the young Boltonian eschewed the normal football and similar sports-related pastimes in favour of the world of steam engines, boilers and in particular the numerous cotton mill and factory chimneys that were as ubiquitous as blades of grass. Nationally renowned Master Steeplejack, Fred Dibnah was born on the 29th April 1938 in the Lancashire cotton town of Bolton. He has passionately and vividly written this excellent book that chronicles 28 of Fred’s amazing and often exceedingly dangerous chimney drops. This is an intimate portrait of Fred, from his childhood in Bolton, to his days as a steeplejack – the job he was to love above all others – and on to his successful television career. He is the author of Fred: the definitive biography of Fred Dibnah, Fred Dibnah's Buildings of Britain and Manchester's Finest, an account of life in Manchester in the aftermath of the deaths of the Busby Babes.

Printed on quality art paper, this brings out the best in the photographs of preparations such as the pit propping and ‘gobbin out’ procedures utilised by the master. His latest work includes a documentary on Fred's garden and Founders of the Great Dynasties for History Channel International. It is not only a glorious testament to our nation's industrial achievements but also a story of the friendships, unfailing courage and determination of the nation's favourite steeplejack.Before his death in 2004, Fred presented many popular series, including Magnificent Monuments , The Age of Steam and Made in Britain, all of which attracted viewers in their millions. As Fred grew up, despite parental disapproval, he pursued his first goal of becoming a steeplejack, and it was his outstanding skill in his chosen profession that led to his first appearance on television. He brings the text alive with anecdotes and quotations aplenty but his writing is so eloquent he brings the day itself alive.

Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. On the 6th November 2004, Fred died after bravely battling with bladder cancer since autumn of 2001. There are some books about a person and their work can only be written by an individual with a similar background both in industry and the life to that person, and their work. Alan had also spent time with Fred and some of his close colleagues during the preparation of the `drop’ and describes expressively the situation, the history and work involved.In 2004, after felling his last chimney and retiring from steeplejacking, Fred took to the road on his beloved traction engine for the BBC series Made in Britain. Keith Langston has captured the life of an enthusiast , never happier than when working on his latest steam-powered project. This behind-the-scenes account of that ambitious journey is made all the more remarkable by Fred's heroic efforts to complete it while suffering from terminal cancer. Access Codes: Unless the book is described as "New," please assume that the book does *not* have an access code. In this book he shares his experiences as a steeplejack, his love of machinery of all types, and his forthright views on life in general.

If you haven’t already read about him in the Middleton Guardian’s popular Bygone Days pages, Alan McEwen is fast becoming Middleton’s very own Fred Dibnah.

Fred's love for all things steam is also a practical one; for the last 27years, he has been renovating a steam boiler and engine in his back garden and it is now nearly complete. Cheshire based KEITH LANGSTON is a widely published and highly respected photo journalist who specialises in heritage transportation and industrial archaeology subjects.