Dibnah's house to go under hammer

Fred Dibnah died in 2004

The home of the late Bolton steeplejack Fred Dibnah is to finally go under the hammer after a boundary dispute led to it being withdrawn from sale last year.

The property, with mine shaft and blue heritage plaque, was to be auctioned in November but was suddenly withdrawn.

However, the three-bedroom house on Radcliffe Road in Bolton is now listed for auction on Thursday.

Mr Dibnah, who became well-known after featuring in a BBC documentary, died from cancer in 2004, aged 66.

His house, which has a guide price of £250,000 to £300,000, was built in 1851 and featured in numerous documentaries about him.

Its gardens include Mr Dibnah's engine shed, workshops and a recently-developed mine shaft - complete with winding gear - which was only given planning permission after his death.

Boundaries resolved

A spokesperson for Miller Metcalfe estate agents, who are behind the sale, said that the legal issue over the property's boundaries had been resolved.

Fred Dibnah bought the house more than 40 years ago

Mr Dibnah, a father-of-six, started work as a joiner but, after completing his National Service, fulfilled his dream to be a steeplejack to service the hundreds of chimneys that once crowded the skies of Bolton.

He shot to fame after being profiled on a local news programme in the North West of England in 1979 where he was filmed hanging 240ft (73m) off the ground while repairing Bolton's town hall clock.

Mr Dibnah was a great admirer of the Industrial Revolution and the Victorians - steam engines were his greatest passion.

He was made an MBE in 2003, a year after he demolished his last chimney stack.

The auction is due to take place at the Pack Horse Hotel on Bradshawgate, Bolton, at 1400 BST.