Post by PorkyPies on Oct 13, 2007 18:20:32 GMT 1
Fred Dibnah's house 'up for sale'
LEGENDARY: Fred Dibnah and his house which is up for auction
THE landmark home where celebrity steeplejack Fred Dibnah lived for more than 40 years has been put up for sale.
Fred's fascination with steam and industrial heritage turned the house and its ground in Radcliffe Road, The Haulgh, into a tribute to Bolton's past.
Along with his beloved steam engines the grounds of the house were home to a huge collection of tools and machinery which will be included in the sale.
The house also comes complete with its own mineshaft and the sale on November 12 is expected to generate a frenzy among enthusiasts and fans of Fred, who died aged 66 in 2004 following a battle with cancer.
A guide price of between £300,000 and £350,000 has been attached to the property by auctioneers Miller Metcalfe.
The proceeds of the sale will go to Fred's children, although his third wife, Sheila, is locked in a legal wrangle with the family after her late husband decided to leave her nothing.
Bill Richards, the executor of the will, said: "It was always recognised, even by Fred, that the house would have to be sold off because of the way the will had been written.
"It would have been nice if his sons could have kept it on but they live in Isle of Man.
"Coming to the house is like stepping back 100 years and it is being sold with most of the machinery and tools that Fred owned.
"I hope there's a real enthusiast with plenty of money somewhere out there who comes and buys the house and keeps it like it is because people continue to come from all over the country to look over the wall."
Mr Richards said that thiefs and vandals had caused damage at the house.
The three bedroom house was built in 1851 and extended by Fred in 1990.
Set in a third of an acre of land, the property overlooks the River Tonge to the rear.
Mrs Dibnah declined to comment.
;D
