AN ICONIC picture of Fred Dibnah has been snapped up by the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The black and white photograph, taken 12 years ago by Bolton photographer Paul Webster, draws comparisons with one of Fred’s heroes, the engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, whose picture also hangs in the gallery.

Brunel was one of the great engineers of the 19th century. He was famous for designing ships and bridges and for his construction of the Great Western Railway.

Mr Webster, an MA student at Bolton University, photographed Fred in a top hat similar to the one worn by Brunel after he asked the Bolton-born steeplejack who he most admired.

Mr Webster said: “It is such an honour to have one of my photos in the National Portrait Gallery.

“Sometimes you only get 10 minutes with a person and it can be very nerve-wracking. You have to keep your head and be confident. You need to try to relax your subject and put them at ease.

“I spent two hours with Fred and the way the photo came about was really natural.

“I asked him who he would like to meet, living or dead, and he said Brunel, so I asked him if he had a top hat.

“He did and he just put it on and I took the picture.”

Mr Webster recently visited the National Portrait Gallery, where he is now an honourary member, to present his photograph.