BACK in 1978 there was the tale of Teignmouth store owner who faced something of a problem when he decided to give his three storey showroom a facelift.

Scaffolding was far too expensive to hire, and he would not be able to handle the big ladder needed on his own.

So Adrian Wadlow, 32, decided to put his mountaineering experience to use.

Attached to ropes secured from the top window he scaled the sheer 30 feet north west face of Brunswick Street, armed with a paint can and brush.

Donned in climbing helmet, boots and a harness, he made a bizarre sight.

Puzzled pedestrians strained their necks as he scrambled up and down the former mill and stable building with the greatest of ease.

It must have been one of the most unusual ways of painting a wall that has ever been tried.

He used a standard climbing technique called abseiling, which involves a harness and rope friction brake to hold him in position.

For him it seemed the most natural thing to do.

‘The old building has not had an outside facelift for about 40 years.

‘In a couple of years I plan to modernise the outside, but in the meantime it desperately needs a lick of paint.

‘For a purely cosmetic job it was not worth expense scaffolding, and so I am doing the job on my own in spare time.

‘A ladder was not practical. I have all the climbing gear, and after a a few experiments I found that climbing down the wall and painting worked well.

‘I lower the paint can first to the height I need, catch hold of the rope with one hand and paint with the other.

‘To me it is extremely comfortable and I am finding it a very enjoyable experience - in fact it is the only decorating job I have liked!

‘I think it is a lot safer than many ladders, which petrify me anyway because they sway about so much in the wind.

‘After climbing thousands of feet in the Alps and other mountains, this is a piece of cake really, and it is all useful practice.

‘The biggest danger is trying not to to put my feet through the other windows.’

To any other do it yourself fanatic who is thinking of copying the technique, a word of warning.

It may look simple but, but unless you have considerable climbing experience, it could prove fatal. Safer to stick to the trusty ladder.

Footnote. Sadly, Adrian died a hero along along with his fiancee Ruth Alty six years later while they trying to help a fellow climber in difficulties in the Wye Valley. He was a member of the Dartmoor Rescue Group and the Devon Mountaineering Club.