1979: FRED DIBNAH and his wife TOPPLE HUGE CHIMNEY with FIRE | Steeplejack | 1970s | BBC Archive

Legendary steeplejack and demolition expert Fred Dibnah attempts to topple an enormous chimney stack in Rochdale, by making a hole in the base, supporting it with wooden props and then setting it alight.

Fred's wife Alison is on hand to peform her traditional role of fire starter.

When the wooden props are burnt away, the chimney is no longer supported and will collapse - hopefully in the right direction.

With a narrow corridor in which the enormous structure must fall to avoid smashing into the surrounding buildings, and the local area evacuated by police as a precaution, the stakes couldn't be higher.

But will Fred's plan work?


Clip taken from Fred Dibnah: Steeplejack, originally broadcast on BBC Two, 6 September, 1979.




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