DID yer like that? A large crowd of Fred Dibnah fans clearly did when his statue was unveiled in Bolton town centre.
The man most famous for demolishing buildings will now have his own permanent monument in Oxford Street.
His statue was unveiled by the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Barbara Ronson, at noon yesterday, in front of an appreciative crowd of onlookers, friends and family.
It would have been Fred’s 70th birthday, so songwriter Pete Martin sang “Happy Birthday” as well as his tribute song, “Ohh, Ohh Fred Dibnah”.
One visitor also left a birthday card at the base of the statue.
The buzz among the crowd fell to a reverent hush before the cover was whipped off to unveil Fred’s smiling face and people jostled to get a first look.
The son of a bleachworks labourer and gas works charlady, Fred attended St Michael’s School before his artistic talents took him to Bolton College of Art.
He became a joiner before a chance job repairing a church weather vane launched his long career as a steeplejack.
He scaled and repaired more or less every chimney in the town before eventually pulling down many of the vast structures.
This brought him to the attention of BBC TV and he soon became a family screen favourite.
His bronze, 8ft-tall sculpture, one-and-a-half times Fred’s actual size, was the work of artist Jane Robbins.
It depicts him in work clothes and the trademark flat cap, holding a lightning conductor.
He stands alongside the Hick Hargreaves’ Corliss stationary steam engine, machinery which Fred greatly admired and loved to visit.
Jane was relieved to finally see the statue in place. “I’m very happy because people have been saying very nice things about it and that’s all I wanted – the people of Bolton to like it,” she said.
“I hope people grow to feel that it’s theirs, to honour a man that they’re very proud of.”
Jane is particularly proud of the statue’s details – Fred’s boots and packet of cigarettes – having studied hundreds of photographs and films.
She was responsible for the statue of comic strip character Andy Capp in Hartlepool, but was banned from including his trademark cigarette.
“They wouldn’t let me put a cigarette in Andy Capp’s mouth, but Fred always had a packet of fags in his top pocket, so it had to go in even if it isn’t politically correct.
“I deliberately showed him in a casual stance, in his scruffy old work clothes, because that’s how people remember him.
“I couldn’t find a photograph of him not smiling, so that was essential.”
The statue cost £46,000 and was the result of three years of fundraising by Bolton Civic Trust and The Bolton News.
Fred’s widow, Sheila, raised £8,500 and Fred’s biggest fan, Wendy Jones, from Astley Bridge, raised more than £6,000 by selling badges which she designed.
Wearing a Dibnah T-shirt and flat cap, she said: “I’m very proud of the statue. It’s brilliant. It’s all been worth it, and I’m sure it’ll bring people into Bolton.”
Civic trust chairman Brian Tetlow opened the speeches ahead of the unveiling, declaring the statue a fitting tribute not just to Fred but to Bolton’s industrial heritage.
He said: “It’s been a labour of love and it’s been a tribute to the adoration and affection in which Fred was held by millions of people throughout the country who had the benefit of watching his wonderful programmes.
“Fred would, I’m sure, have been delighted. He didn’t like fuss, but I’m sure he would have appreciated the effort that went into it.”
Fred’s widow, Sheila, and his brother, Graham, attended the unveiling, while his children, Lorna, Jayne, Caroline, Roger and Jack thanked everyone who contributed to the appeal fund, particularly Brian Tetlow and Fred’s friend, Bill Greenhalgh.
Sheila said: “Jane’s done a fantastic job with his stance and I think she’s captured his cheeky smile just right.
“It represents all that hard work of those men, when Bolton was great. It’s just fantastic.”
The Bolton News’ editor, Ian Savage, said Fred was “one of a kind” and that the story of his life and work had filled many pages of the newspaper.
He added: “We hope Bolton appreciates this statue as much as Fred appreciated Bolton.”
Onlookers were delighted with the statue and its impact on Bolton town centre.
Hazel Edge, aged 66, of Oak Avenue, Horwich, said: “I think it’s brilliant, a very good likeness and it’s a very appropriate place for him.”
Paul Icke, aged 59, of Brackley Street, Walkden, said he had met Fred while working at the Gordon Clarke sawmill in Farnworth.
“It’s a good, solid statue,” he said. “I think he’ll look better when he gets a pigeon on his shoulder. It’ll weather a bit then and he’ll blend in.”
Edna McCoy, aged 72, of Begonia Avenue, Farnworth, said: “He was Mr Bolton. He’s put Bolton on the map. He was a typical Lancashire man.”
(source)
