As a child, Dibnah was fascinated by the sights and sounds of industry and the dozens of chimney stacks visible around Burnden Park, and paid particular attention to the steeplejacks he saw on his way to school. Named after his uncle Frederick, he was born on 28 April 1938 and brought up in the historic Lancashire town of Bolton, then a predominantly industrial town with a history in the spinning and weaving of cotton. His mother later worked as a charwoman at a gas works.

Early life Childhood įred Dibnah was the son of Frank and Betsy Dibnah ( née Travis), who were initially both employed at a bleach works. He died from bladder cancer in November 2004, aged 66. 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. Towards 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. His Lanky manner and gentle, self-taught philosophical outlook proved popular with viewers and he featured in a number of television programmes. 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. In 1978, while making repairs to Bolton Town Hall, Dibnah was filmed by a regional BBC news crew.

The resulting publicity provided a boost to his business, ensuring he was almost never out of work. Once demobilised, he returned to steeplejacking but met with limited success until he was asked to repair Bolton's parish church. From age 22, he served for two years in the Army Catering Corps of the British Army, undertaking his National Service. He began his working life as a joiner, before becoming a steeplejack. 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. When Dibnah was born, Britain relied heavily upon coal to fuel its industry. Frederick Travis Dibnah, MBE (28 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'.

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