Fred didn't actually blow chimneys up but was very particular that these monuments to our past were taken down in the old fashioned way. Basically he never wanted to take them down as he had so much respect for the skill of the men who had put them up but, having accepted that they were going to come down anyway, he made sure that the traditional method was used. This entailed removing some bricks from the bottom of the chimney, propping up the remainder o the chimney with wood then setting the whole thing alight. He was particularly keen on making sure that the chimney smoked one last time before it died. This was an unfamiliar hint of romance from Fred, the only time I heard him in that frame of mind.