Fred Dibnah Tours
Update: the last open day took place on the 22nd August 2009. Please check the News section for the latest updates. Meanwhile you can help raise funds for the Heritage Centre here.
Official Fred Dibnah Memorabilia is for sale..
News is coming in that Fred’s house will be opening as the “Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre”.
The new owners are running an eBay auction selling 5 tickets for the first tour of Fred’s house due to take place on 31st July 2009. All tickets for the first event have now sold out!! Tickets are now available for the next event planned for the 22nd August 2009.
The proceeds will be going toward renovating Fred’s house and with the plan to open it permanently as a tourist attraction. The buy it now price is £100 but don’t worry this price is just for the initial launch and fund raising push, when then heritage centre opens the admission charge will be much more affordable.
As well as a tour of the Fred Dibnah’s home the ticket holders will meet with Fred’s buddies and enjoy a “Fred talk” by Shiela Dibnah. Light refreshments and the possibility of a bar are planned as well.
During the tour it is expected (*) that you will see:
- Fred’s tools just as he left them in the steam shed and also in his work shed
- his blacksmith corner and his forge where he made his fabulous weather vanes to special order
- the top of swan mill chimney laid out in the garden exactly as Fred left it, stand on it and imagine being hundreds of feet in the air just as Fred did
- see the knackered old white garden table that Fred used to have his brew on in the workshop
- see the mug that Fred used to use for a brew
- see his harness and hardhats his boots and wellies, his collection of ladders and all his ropes
- see all his machines all belt driven by steam
- see the arrow he used on TV in that famous TV series
- see his boiler house, his chimney that he built himself,
- and finally his mineshaft (and before you ask, no you will not be allowed to go down it due to health and safety of course) but it will be illuminated for you to take a peek
(*) Unfortunately the exact content of the tour may change, please contact the Heritage Centre to confirm the exact itinerary before making a purchase.
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Fred was my hero can you please keep me posted regarding a tour of the house and workshop.
I cannot make 22 August opening
Peter W
Engineer
Warwickshire
Hi Peter, I’ll try to keep everything up-to-date here, otherwise keep an eye on the “Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre” web site (linked above) for the latest news.
Never got to meet Fred ,but it was he who introduced me to the world of steam and early industry which i have grown such a passion for. Is there any tickets available for the 22nd Aug and detail on a local B&B as i will be travelling from Belfast.
Regards
Jason Kennedy
Hi Jason, yes there are still tickets available for the 22nd, you can by them through the eBay link above. As for B&B’s I know that Morden Grange and Glendale Guest House are both just round the corner, you can get their numbers from their web site, mention where you are going and you may get a good deal
Let us know how you get on. Joe.
Hi. I was very lucky enough to be on the first of these tours of “Freds Place”. What a fantastic night of nosalgia it was, not only to be able to wander around at will, following in the great mans footprints so to speak, but to be able to meet and talk to Sheila; Alf; Neal; and the new owners, and see for ourselves the proposals for the Heritage center, and just how committed the new owners, and their friends, are.
Hi again. I noticed that someone was filming the events of the first tour, is it going to be possible to obtain a copy of this .
Cheers
Hi P.V. Thanks for letting us know how you got on. I hear it was all good.
No doubt Leon has a plan for the recordings of the event, drop him an email freddibnahtours@live.com and see if he can help. Let us know what he says.
Just to let all you Fred fans know that Jane Robbins, the artist that designed the statue of fred that stands in the centre of Bolton, has now made some beautiful special edition exact copies of the statue for us. It is 9″ tall made in gorgeous bronze resin and stands on a polished mahogany wooden plinth. It is only available through the heritage centre and is priced at £57.77 + p&p. For further details please email us at freddibnahtours@live.com.
Thanks for letting us know Leon about the statues, they look great.
Any news on what the video cameras at the July event were for?
Hi and thank you so much for restoring and keeping Fred’s house alive.
By a complete fluke I drove past Fred’s /your house tonight – I didn’t even know where it was in Bolton and happened to be passing to collect something. I guess I just recognised it from his book or TV programmes and nobody was more surprised than me.
Then I searched for info on the house and found your website here.
I would definitely love to have a tour if that is ever again possible. I am a civil engineer by training but run an amateurs antiques restoration class at my house each Sat and have a passion for restoration and all things with provenance.
Please let me know if you are having any more visit
Best wishes
Ian
Warrington
please can you let me know when the next tour will be, would love to surprise my dad who is a huge fan of Freds.
Many Thanks
Hi Amanda, nothing is confirmed but I’m hearing a whisper about something happening in January.