Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age DVD > Reviews > Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding

Advantages:	Educational, entertaining, charming
Disadvantages:	With Fred? Don't be so soft !  (IE None)

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age is a wonderful DVD. It is packed with great programmes made by Fred Dibnah for the BBC, and is released by Beckmann (www.beackmandirect.com) who are based on the Isle of Mann.

The first programme is Wind, water and steam. Fred talks of early uses of these power sources. He takes us to Saxtead Green Post Mill, which is in Suffolk and then in typical Fed style, we find ourselves haring off up the length of England all the way to Cumbria, where we find ourselves with Fred at Muncaster Mill. There are craftsmen and women there who still employ the ancient power of wind and water (not steam!) to power the devices they use to pursue their crafts.

Of course, Fred demonstrates his own skills (which are many and very varied) showing examples of his own restoration work. He also chats with friends about how important he felt conservation work of our industrial heritage was.

Mill and Factories. This programme demonstrates how fortunate Britain was that Fred Dibnah was born and raised in Bolton, one of Britain's greatest industrial towns. It was once home to King Cotton, with hundreds and hundreds of mills, all using steam power and the once ubiquitous Lancashire Boiler type of boiler.

Fred chats with the viewer about his childhood in Bolton, of steam trains, of mills, of mill chimneys and what it was like to grow up amongst such beautiful machines and buildings. He also gives vital information about the development of the machinery used in the mills and factories.

Iron and Steel. Fred visits Ironbridge Musuem (largely in the Blists Hill part for those of you who know the series of museums making up Ironbridge Museum). We see pit winding gear, the faux Victorian town, watch men casting cast iron using the traditional floor moulding techniques, etc. Then it is a dash "up country" to Sheffield where Fred has the opportunity to look at the famed Don Valley engine. Fred obviously loved that part of the filming! It was great to see that there are people looking after the steel making heritage of Sheffield.

Mining. This was an especially poignant programme, as when Fred visits derelict mines, they have only been derelict for a relatively short period of time, victims of the pointless NUM/government clash of the dinosaurs in the 1980s. See Fred's own mineshaft that he built in his back garden!. Fred visits the National Coalmining Museum near Wakefield, Yorkshire. It shows how horrible life was for a miner, with entire families, men, women and children, working underground.
Whilst visiting a former mine in Scotland, Fred sees that the pipe band has carried on, even though the mine was closed down in 1981.

In one exceptionally poignant scene, Fred pulled a handle that would have rung the mine's signal bell. Fred then rubbed his chin, thoughtfully, and said: "I don't think anyone will come no more, though…"

Fred also looks at the legacy of tin mining in Cornwall and has a go at working slate at a Welsh slate mine.

Railways. In this programme, Fred takes a look at railways. His house, as a child was very close to a main line and he would be able to see, on a winter's night, the faces of the crew illuminated by the fierce glow of the open firebox. He tells how he used to get rides from a traindriver who he had befriended on the line by his house.

Fred tells us the real history of steam locomotives with visits to the National Railway Museum, York and various locations all over the country. And tells us things we might not have known (it was Trevithick, not Stephenson who built the first railway locomotives!) Fred also shows the pre-steam railways.

We see a working recreation of Trevithick's locomotive, and Stephenson's Rocket and more modern steam locomotives, and Fred, the lucky chap!) gets to drive them! He also has a look at how some preservation groups have started to build new locomotives to original plans, building steam locomotives that did not survive the cutting torches of the scrapmen.

He also visits preserved railway lines and centres of rail engineering excellence like the Birmingham Railway Centre, and saw the great work they are undertaking there.

The last programme on the DVD is Ships and Ship Building. Fred retells the story of how the crafts, skills and experience of Britain's ship builders and engineers helped turn Britain into a great maritime nation during the Victorian age and beyond.

Fred visits the SS Great Britain and talks animatedly about one of his heroes, Brunel. We also see Fred's two sons working on his pride and joy, his Aveleing and Porter traction engine!

We see a restored and preserved steam yacht on Lake Windermere, the last working coastal steamers and more, including collections of large steam engines (including a Bolton and Watt) and more glances back at steam power of yesterday. And a look at a museum of traction engine makers Richard Garrett and Sons of East Anglia and the Long Shop Museum built in their original and highly innovative production line workshop.

There is a special feature on this DVD. There are features obtainable via a PC, consisting of a list of over 200 locations (with extra information) that are featured on the DVD. The list is printable.