When Fred Came to Town

Image: © David Dixon Taken: 20 Aug 1980

Steeplejack, TV personality and raconteur Fred Dibnah had a life-long interest in steam power. This 1910 12-ton Aveling and Porter steamroller, which had once been operated by Flintshire County Council, had been kept in a barn near Warrington and was in a poor state when Fred purchased it. Restoration took many years as he had to create his own replacement parts using Victorian engineering techniques and equipment he built in his back garden. Once it was restored, he used it to take his family around local steam fairs. I don’t know why he was visiting Radcliffe on this day but he and his steamroller generated plenty of interest amongst the passers-by. Here, a policeman (note the 1980s style uniform and helmet) is stopping the traffic whilst Fred reverses the steamroller onto the waste land (which is now occupied by a block of shops).

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