6 days ago
Update on Fred Dibnah memorial stone after local company steps in
A local company has created a replacement for a damaged plaque honouring Bolton's most famous son.
The memorial to beloved steeplejack Fred Dibnah sits on Churchgate in the heart of Bolton town centre.
However, the tile was cracked and remains in a sorry state eight months after the damage was reported to Bolton Council.
Hardscape, a Bolton company that manufactures paving tiles for urban spaces, created a new tile free-of-charge in April.
Hardscape, a local company, created the replacement stone free of charge (Image: Hardscape) A spokesperson for the company said: "We became aware of the Fred Dibnah stone being broken months ago and offered to replace it.
"Obviously these things take time and we had to arrange for the council to come and inspect it.
"It's a recognisable part of the town with history, people recognise the stone and it's been a part of lots of people's lives.
"We thought it was important that the history of that is maintained with a replacement that's sympathetic to the original.
"We were obviously more than happy to do that, especially with something like this which is local to where our company is based."
Cllr Adele Warren said she raised the issue of the tile's condition with the company, as her husband runs it.
She said: "It was all done on their own backs, with a little bit of pressure from me.
"He's a local legend, isn't he?
"Everybody knows who Fred Dibnah is, and it's a prominent part of the town as well, so I thought it was the right the thing to do really."
The council have estimated that the stone will be replaced in a few weeks.
Fred Dibnah died in 2004, aged 66. He rose to fame in 1978 when a television show showed his traditional steeplejack and chimney demolition methods, which included explosives and base fires.
His warm personality and strong Lancashire accent endeared him to viewers.
A statue of him, unveiled in 2008, stands on Oxford Street, close to a working steam engine and the memorial stone was also installed showing his birth and death years and one of his sayings 'Did you like that?'.
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A spokesman for Bolton Council said: 'Fred Dibnah is one of Bolton's best-loved sons, and his statue is a fitting tribute to him and our borough's proud history.
'We are determined to return his statue to its former glory, and the stone has now been remade and is being scheduled in for installation in the next few weeks.
'In the meantime, we would like to thank all those offering to repair the statue free of charge, which underlines how much he is loved by locals and visitors to Bolton.'
