System modernization vers 1850 (≈ 1850)
Addition of a machine for minors.
début XIXe siècle
Opening of the well
Opening of the well début XIXe siècle (≈ 1904)
Mining begins on site.
1953
Closure of facilities
Closure of facilities 1953 (≈ 1953)
End of mining activity on site.
31 juillet 1995
Front protection
Front protection 31 juillet 1995 (≈ 1995)
Registration as a Historic Monument.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Façades and roofs of the well (the so-called A Warocquère tower) as well as of the former douche bath building contiguous with it (see AE 56): inscription by order of 31 July 1995
Key figures
Information non disponible - No character cited
The source text does not mention any names.
Origin and history
The well of Pré du Gourd-Marin, located in Rive-de-Gier in the Loire, is a rare testimony of 19th century mining activity. Opened at the beginning of this century, it was modernized around 1850 with the addition of a machine for the descent and uplift of the miners, now disappeared. This well, like the Combélibert well, symbolizes the importance of coal mining in the Stephanese region.
The site included a tower called A Warocquère, home to the downhill system, as well as a pioneering bath-douch building in the Stéphanois basin. The latter was equipped with a hot water pool for miners, a social innovation for the time. All the installations, arrested in 1953, were partially preserved, with facades and roofs protected by a 1995 order.
Following the closure of the mines, the site was transformed into a residential pavilion. Despite this reconversion, the protected remains, like the tower and baths, recall the industrial history of Rive-de-Gier. The current location, near Charles de Gaulle Avenue, maintains a tangible record of this mining heritage, although geographical accuracy is considered poor (level 5/10).
