Fred Dibnah's work revisited, Christ's Church at Harwood Bolton

Mr H visits the church of Christ's Church in in the village of Harwood on the outskirts of Bolton to take a look at the churches bell tower which the legendry late Bolton Steeplejack Fred Dibnah worked on in 1980 and featured in the TV documentary 'The Fred Dibnah Story' which aired in 1996 to see if Fred's work has once again stood the test of time.
#freddibnah
#freddibnahsteeplejack
#freddibnahbolton

[@John-oy8nj]

Fred was a proper craftsman.

[@danttny151]

Thanks Mr H, I enjoyed that, I use to like watching fred Dibnah😄 on tv, a true Bolton person 👍🏻 thanks mate.

[@loadzofhobbies4219]

That was ever so interesting. Great to see Fred's workmanship standing strong. What a legacy he's left behind.Thanks for making these.

[@Snowy1of1]

Ey up Mr H, hope tha's well! Fred, awesome bloke, met him once at a steam fair, such a down to earth guy. He was born to late, was a Victorian era bloke, did things right. Thanks for another great upload. "Did ya like that?"

[@momatmach1]

Fred was a great man, his star hasn’t dimmed for many of us over the decades

[@rachelmayes298]

I used to love watching Fred, he was an amazing man. It’s such a shame that there aren’t men like Fred around anymore. Things would have been done correctly and last, these days they don’t care, and there are too many cowboys. God bless him, he was brilliant, he was probably born in the wrong era. I agree with everything he said, and it’ll carry on getting worse.

[@casper1240]

Loads of little melting easily offended Snowflakes now m8 . frightened of there own shadows .not sure if you can say snowflakes on here its banned on FB !

[@terrypilkington1658]

Great video thank you..

[@neilrawlinson8090]

At that time I youst to work on church roofs myself in darwen as a joiner, I was 25 and the firm seddons from Bolton did all the copper roofing, st peters was one,the fellows all spoke of Fred ,lov this I'm going back to look at my work, keep doing these videos, brilliant.

[@carlleedham6256]

Well if the rest of 2022 is like the 1st video, we are in for a great year. Fred certainly said it like it was and now it's even worse. Thank the lord we had Fred in those days and we have you now

[@matthewgartell6380]

Everytime I visit Asda on the old Bolton wanderers site at Burnden I look up to the chimney pot that Fred built for his mam in the 50/60s. Also, the arrow on the step looks a bit like an ordinance survey bench mark

[@bonnie8441]

Great video..Fred spoke more sense than any politician ever did!

[@RaverRst]

Cracking video Mr H, Great to see Fred’s work and locations from his much loved Tv programs. Thanks for sharing with us.. 👍

[@stephenshipley2631]

Nice one Mr H, great video really enjoyed it.R.I.P Fred.

[@bigyin.7710]

I visited Fred's home today and noticed a number of block and tackles hanging from some of the branches in the tree near the extension. Also visited his grave and filming locations. Thanks for your videos, which helped me locate them.

[@RHR-221b]

Thank you, Mr H. Times ago when (most) men were men, and (most) women were glad of it. All the best to you and yours, from mine and me, Stay free. Rab 🍻 😎 🎲 🌠

[@80sMod1]

Anyway great footage and great program Mr HP respect to Fred and that Generation, great programme 👍

[@davehanson7764]

Great video Mr H, I remember Fred saying those words when I watched The Fred Dibnah Story and he is spot on, he often said tbe word " difficult " at the end of a sentence when he was annoyed or upset

[@johnpritchard2772]

so enjoyied this video.

[@Mr_Spliffy]

Brilliant that. Big Fred fan

[@shanehall98]

Loved the video. I find Fred Dibnah very interesting and I agree with him that people don’t have respect for things anymore.

[@almaxx9680]

NICE one Mr H👍

[@noseyparker6368]

More Fred videoes please Mr H Nice one

[@LeeLocke]

Thank you Mr H

[@gilesj2215]

Excellent video really enjoyed it ! Love the shots from past n present also interesting to see how much the tree have grown around the church 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻very informative thanks for the post ! Fred was a great man and love anything he did 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@jason80892]

That arrow on the floor is a bench mark.

[@loafersheffield]

The desecration of churches has increased a lot since 1980, especially in France. It has not been restricted to property but people too. Fr Jacques Hamel. So much so, that many people from a particular religious minority, who have been historically persecuted throughout history are now emigrating in large numbers to a majority ethnic/religious state.

[@catherineclark4484]

Love your videos, watch all freds episodes so interesting, and he was so right what he said, I would love to know what he would think with whats happening today

[@allanmason7544]

nice one mr h keep them comeing

[@cockneycharmer5683]

Lovely mr h loved seeing the great man’s work, thank you

[@chris-ro5zx]

A great video Mr H.

[@catherineclark4484]

Your so right he wouldn't be able to say now what he did, but they're a brave person who would try to stop him

[@Jkk55]

Thank you I enjoyed this Fred was character for sure a talented one!.

[@welshmanjasonpatrick8607]

Great video very interested church work Fred did ther

[@chaddamp2894]

This helps alot, we can't get to Bolton due to personal circumstances.We followed Fred from the very start,I wish we could have met him.Thanks for your posts

[@andrewmarriott4033]

Great video mr h I’d have loved to see how Fred put his scaffolding up amazing how he just slid down the pole like a fireman he must be turning in his grave as they say about how things have gone since

[@garycanning7015]

Brilliant piece of history Mr H loved every minute of that video .

[@southsidepaddy]

Great stuff, love these videos.

[@itsmewayne428]

Hi Mr H..glad you're back...I've watched probably near as much about Fred as you in the past...I'm in my 50s and can completely relate to the guy..I'm sure if he's looking down now he'd be spitting feathers watching how soft folk have become...☯️☯️☯️

[@markseal1074]

Great video 👍

[@Super6predictions]

More great footage of Fred and his work. Please keep these uploads coming, really enjoy the history and love the then and now clips you do. All the best from Des down in Cornwall

[@garyturley2435]

wow still there after all these yrs. i wonder what freds kids are doing now JACK ect can you find out. wish fred was stil here sad he gone. more vids plz love from west brom

[@jarrac]

Good video of a great man. I was an apprentice patternmaker in 1983 and my boss a friend. I made a number of patterns for parts related his machine renovations. I never tire of watching Fred and his genius and am quite chuffed to have had the opportunity thrust at me to produce patterns for him.

[@hellooohowareudoing]

Great video once again!

[@80sMod1]

Your so right Mr HP and was Fred how could they have done that?

[@danw5404]

A great video as always please keep up the Fred videos another Fred chimney location was the India mill chimney in Darwen with the big over hangs towards the top 👍

[@thirdratecontent585]

I very much enjoy this channel. This was a great vid thanks 👍

[@garethparr9482]

Nice one Roy it’s great to see that Fred’s work is holding up just fine but then again it always will because he was a craftsman and perfectionist who did things proper as we say up north. Regarding Fred’s rant he was spot on and so were you when you said that wouldn’t have made it to air today cos the woke snowflakes wouldn’t like it a bit to near the truth. Lookin forward to what’s coming up pal 👍

[@paulbennett8585]

Another great video. I've recent been to this church and the eastr egg is actually 1985. He must have revisited 5 years later. Possibly the lightening conductor fell off during a storm

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Paul. and glad that you enjoyed the video. 👍 Yes after looking at it again I can see that it is now '1985' although the '5' did look like a zero from a certain angle and I'll be honest I automatically saw a squeezed in zero knowing that the TV footage of Fred dates from around 1980/82ish. Obviously Fred's '1985' tag was from another later and undocumented job on the church possibly a re pointing job. Something else I've noticed on re watching this video is that the pointing must have been done again since 1985 as you can see the slight difference in the colour and texture of the mortar from Fred's 1985 tag and the rest of the joints, meaning whoever did the re pointing post 1985 was aware of or found Fred's tag and deliberately left it there and pointed around it to preserve it.

[@paulbennett8585]

@@MrHsHotPot yes I agree. Please keep up the great videos Mr H. Have you seen on KZbin the Fred Dibnah documentary from "Daft Monkey"? It's absolutely fantastic.

[@paulbennett8585]

Mr H. After doing my research, the initials of the builders of the church he found on the spire.

[@scooby1992]

A great video . Fred Dibnah was great and a one off . I love videos of him and just about remember watching some of the TV programmes of him . I wish I could find out which church he was working on when he replaced the weathercock . It looked like it was in a rural setting and had a spire . I also think it was a nice touch showing Red Rogerson's grave and noticed it was sad that Roger's Wife had died the month after him .

[@scooby1992]

Fred Rogerson and Fred's Wife even .

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Scooby1992, and glad to hear that you have enjoyed the video. 👍 The church that I think you are looking for regarding the replacement weathercock is possibly St Anne's Church at Turton. I have done a video revisiting this church almost 40 years after Fred had replaced the weathercock which can be viewed here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqDKo6ehlKidqLM

[@scooby1992]

@@MrHsHotPot Ta very much . I will check it out !

[@scooby1992]

@@MrHsHotPot Hi Mr.H , yes that is the very same church and video . Thanks very much . I was completely in awe of Fred's bravery and stamina ! From what I can remember he literally placed the weathervane on top of the pole/spike and let gravity hold it in place . I am amazed it has stood the test of time all these years later .

[@jason80892]

Bench marks that surveyors made in stone structures, into which an angle-iron could be placed to form a "bench" for a leveling rod, thus ensuring that a leveling rod could be accurately repositioned in the same place in the future.

[@RHR-221b]

Trig, j? All the best. Stay free. R 🍻 😎

[@truecrimewithglenclark9098]

I always go past chimneys wondering if Fred went up there.

[@kkkulu3571]

Love your vids mate keep doing them 👍

[@casper1240]

Hi Roy just began reading one of Fred;s books ,i thought i'd read them all but this one is very good ,Fred Inhis own Words , a great read talks about his life army etc dont know if youve read it or not think iots fairly recent

[@procta2343]

i don't know what people get out of damaging graves. I have seen on face book in the past, that children's Graves have been robbed in the past of little toys etc. Which is sicking to say the least. Anyway another great video there MR H, i am not sure if H+S will let him peg his ladders like that now.

[@RHR-221b]

I fully agree re the grave vandals et al., Procta. 💔 Stay free. Rab 🍻 😎 🎲 🌠

[@bigmonkey999888]

Hi, as I understand in Leeds a few years ago the H&S mob went round grave yards with a simple push test to ensure grave stones wouldn’t fall over on people. Wether this happened around the rest of the country I couldn’t say Steve

[@London_Native]

What was the name of the book you mentioned that Fred Dibnah talked more about his work than was in the TV programme? Thanks Mr. H!

[@waynep613]

Fred had a great idea to work up high. He knew that no spineless thugs would have the guts to climb up to his level to destroy his great work.

[@waynep613]

Just to think, the yobs that caused all that damage are probably about 55-65 years old now. I'm sure they'll remember what they did and live with the guilt but also they'll talk about how the youth of today have no respect. Would be amazing if they saw your video, did the right thing and offer their services to the graveyard for a few days.

[@bigmonkey999888]

Hi, the arrow was from the ministry of defence during WW2 if I am correct to signify the collection of metal for war production Steve

[@singaporemick]

Roy them vandals must have come on a bus, because I think there's no council estates in Harwood.

[@Deliquescentinsight]

Fred's little rant echoes the sentiment of millions of decent people, 'respect' is the crux of the problem, young folks are not guided or taught the basic values that British people all shared in previous times, we have become decadent, we have lost direction, what the ultimate solution would be? It will take something very traumatic, impressive to change our direction, hold the course folks.

[@spartacus6662]

cheers me dears

[@charliebuttocks2400]

Why didn’t they put them back up all them strapping lads in Bolton I could put them up now and I’m nearly 60

[@AgathaAndAnything]

Good catch up BUT where’s “Greetings and salutations folks” gone? Gutted. I do my very best Mr H impression every time and you made me look foolish 😂

[@Salt-pie]

You can just make out at 12:40 the initials of the original men who built the church they are just to the left of the initials Fred left.

[@billy4072]

You need a drone 💡

[@suekelsall1595]

Down in Plymouth the bombed out church with arrow on step it was to insure coffin cariers lined up so not to catch shoulders

[@leeh9985]

Alot more snowflakes as of today, and is getting worse

[@charliebuttocks2400]

Mason mark