Joe Brown (climber)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Brown, CBE
(born 26 September 1930) is an English climber
, born the seventh and last child of a family in the Manchester
suburb of Ardwick
. He became famous for climbing during the 1950s, and was a member of the Valkyrie climbing club and founding member of the Rock and Ice climbing club
. An early climbing partner was Don Whillans
, a fellow Mancunian and a plumber. They were among the first of a new breed of post-war climbers from working class backgrounds, in contrast to the upper and middle-class professionals who had dominated the sport up to World War II.
Brown is widely regarded as the outstanding pioneering English rock climber of the 1950s and early 1960s. He established an unprecedented number of classic new routes (especially in Snowdonia
and the Peak District
) that were at the leading edge of the hardest grades. Examples on Dinas Cromlech
in the Llanberis Pass
include "Cenotaph Corner" (1952, E1, with Doug Belshaw) and "Cemetery Gates" (1951, E1, with Don Whillans
). As well as creating pioneering routes, he often helped create new types of "protection" to improve safety on climbs, and is acknowledged to have created some of the first "nuts
" by drilling the thread out of nuts and threading the centre with a sling. So famous was he that the Post Office would often deliver letters simply addressed to "The Human Fly, UK".
In this context, Brown's mountaineering achievements in the Alps and Himalaya have often been overlooked: he made many significant ascents in the Alps in the 1950s with Don Whillans
and other members of the Rock and Ice climbing club
and, in 1955, the first ascent of the third highest mountain in the world, Kangchenjunga
in the Nepal
ese Himalaya, with George Band
. In 1956 he made the first ascent of the west summit of the Mustagh Tower in the Karakoram
with Ian McNaught-Davis
. The other members of the team, John Hartog and Tom Patey, reached the main summit the next day.
Apart from his numerous classic rock climbs in Britain, and his considerable mountaineering achievements abroad, Joe is remembered for televised rock climbs in the 1960s, three in Snowdonia, and then, in 1967, of a spectacular new route on the Old Man of Hoy
, a Scottish
sea stack, with luminaries of the climbing world Ian McNaught-Davis
and Sir Chris Bonington
. Fifteen years later Brown repeated the climb on the Old Man on a popular TV
documentary with his second daughter Zoe. Her bubbly personality led her to being chosen as a presenter on the children's TV show Tiswas
.
Already a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), Brown was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to rock climbing and mountaineering.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 26 September 1930) is an English climber
Climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
, born the seventh and last child of a family in the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
suburb of Ardwick
Ardwick
Ardwick is a district of the City of Manchester, in North West England, about one mile east of Manchester City Centre.By the mid-19th century Ardwick had grown from being a village into a pleasant and wealthy suburb of Manchester, but by the end of that century it had become heavily industrialised...
. He became famous for climbing during the 1950s, and was a member of the Valkyrie climbing club and founding member of the Rock and Ice climbing club
Rock and Ice climbing club
The Rock and Ice Club was a British climbing club formed by a group of Manchester climbers. The group regularly climbed on the weekends and met in the week to discuss the past weekends climbs and plan their future trips....
. An early climbing partner was Don Whillans
Don Whillans
Don Whillans was an English rock climber and mountaineer. Born and raised in a two-up two-down house in Salford, Lancashire, he climbed with both Joe Brown and Chris Bonington on many new routes, and was considered the technical equal of both. He was an apprentice plumber when he first started his...
, a fellow Mancunian and a plumber. They were among the first of a new breed of post-war climbers from working class backgrounds, in contrast to the upper and middle-class professionals who had dominated the sport up to World War II.
Brown is widely regarded as the outstanding pioneering English rock climber of the 1950s and early 1960s. He established an unprecedented number of classic new routes (especially in Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
and the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
) that were at the leading edge of the hardest grades. Examples on Dinas Cromlech
Dinas Cromlech
Dinas Cromlech is a striking rock outcrop in the Llanberis Pass, Snowdonia, in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, which a characteristic "open book" shape. It is clearly visible from the road , and the obvious rock-climbing route up the corner resisted attempts for many years...
in the Llanberis Pass
Llanberis Pass
The Llanberis Pass in Snowdonia carries the main road from the SE to Llanberis, over Pen-y-Pass, between the mountain ranges of the Glyderau and the Snowdon massif. At the bottom of the pass is the small village of Nant Peris, clustered round the ancient church of Saint Peris...
include "Cenotaph Corner" (1952, E1, with Doug Belshaw) and "Cemetery Gates" (1951, E1, with Don Whillans
Don Whillans
Don Whillans was an English rock climber and mountaineer. Born and raised in a two-up two-down house in Salford, Lancashire, he climbed with both Joe Brown and Chris Bonington on many new routes, and was considered the technical equal of both. He was an apprentice plumber when he first started his...
). As well as creating pioneering routes, he often helped create new types of "protection" to improve safety on climbs, and is acknowledged to have created some of the first "nuts
Nut (climbing)
In rock climbing, a nut is a metal wedge threaded on a wire, used for protection by wedging it into a crack in the rock. Quickdraws are clipped to the nut wire by the ascending climber and the rope threads through the quickdraw. Nuts come in a variety of sizes and styles, and several different...
" by drilling the thread out of nuts and threading the centre with a sling. So famous was he that the Post Office would often deliver letters simply addressed to "The Human Fly, UK".
In this context, Brown's mountaineering achievements in the Alps and Himalaya have often been overlooked: he made many significant ascents in the Alps in the 1950s with Don Whillans
Don Whillans
Don Whillans was an English rock climber and mountaineer. Born and raised in a two-up two-down house in Salford, Lancashire, he climbed with both Joe Brown and Chris Bonington on many new routes, and was considered the technical equal of both. He was an apprentice plumber when he first started his...
and other members of the Rock and Ice climbing club
Rock and Ice climbing club
The Rock and Ice Club was a British climbing club formed by a group of Manchester climbers. The group regularly climbed on the weekends and met in the week to discuss the past weekends climbs and plan their future trips....
and, in 1955, the first ascent of the third highest mountain in the world, Kangchenjunga
Kangchenjunga
Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain of the world with an elevation of and located along the India-Nepal border in the Himalayas.Kangchenjunga is also the name of the section of the Himalayas and means "The Five Treasures of Snows", as it contains five peaks, four of them over...
in the Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
ese Himalaya, with George Band
George Band
George Christopher Band OBE ) was an English mountaineer.Band was born in Taiwan and educated at Eltham College...
. In 1956 he made the first ascent of the west summit of the Mustagh Tower in the Karakoram
Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
with Ian McNaught-Davis
Ian McNaught-Davis
Ian McNaught-Davis is most recognised nowadays for presenting the BBC TV series The Computer Programme, Making the Most of the Micro and Micro Live in the 1980s. However, he is also a well-known mountaineer and alpinist...
. The other members of the team, John Hartog and Tom Patey, reached the main summit the next day.
Apart from his numerous classic rock climbs in Britain, and his considerable mountaineering achievements abroad, Joe is remembered for televised rock climbs in the 1960s, three in Snowdonia, and then, in 1967, of a spectacular new route on the Old Man of Hoy
Old Man of Hoy
The Old Man of Hoy is a sea stack of red sandstone perched on a plinth of igneous basalt rock, close to Rackwick Bay on the west coast of the island of Hoy, in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. It is a distinctive landmark seen from the Thurso to Stromness ferry, MV Hamnavoe, and is a famous rock climb...
, a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
sea stack, with luminaries of the climbing world Ian McNaught-Davis
Ian McNaught-Davis
Ian McNaught-Davis is most recognised nowadays for presenting the BBC TV series The Computer Programme, Making the Most of the Micro and Micro Live in the 1980s. However, he is also a well-known mountaineer and alpinist...
and Sir Chris Bonington
Chris Bonington
Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL is a British mountaineer.His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.-Early life and expeditions:Educated at University College School in...
. Fifteen years later Brown repeated the climb on the Old Man on a popular TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
documentary with his second daughter Zoe. Her bubbly personality led her to being chosen as a presenter on the children's TV show Tiswas
Tiswas
Tiswas was a Saturday morning children's British television series which ran from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982 and was produced for the ITV network by ATV Network Limited....
.
Already a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), Brown was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to rock climbing and mountaineering.