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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Centre Val-de-Loire
  4. Cher
  5. 18600 Grossouvre

  6. Former metallurgical plant

Former metallurgical plant à Grossouvre dans le Cher

Cher

Former metallurgical plant

    2 Route de Vereaux
    18600 Grossouvre
Photo de Former metallurgical plant

Timeline

Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1800
1900
2000
1833-1834
Construction of worker housing
1844-1847
Construction of plant
20 décembre 1999
Coal Hall Classification
8 octobre 2004
Classification of "Galeries"
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The coal hall, with the exception of the two appentis attached to the eastern gable, located 2, route de Véreaux (Box B 696) : classification by order of 20 December 1999 - The building of dwellings of workers called Les Galeries, dependent on the metallurgical factory (Box B 26, placed Le Bourg): classification by order of 8 October 2004

Key figures

Alexandre-Jean-Marie Aguado - Marquis de Las Marismas, sponsor Owner and financer of the factory.
Jean-Louis Boigues - Metallurgical industry Farmer of the forge, co-initiator.
Achille Dufaud - Metallurgical engineer Technical manufacturer of the factory.

Origin and history

The former metallurgical plant of Grossouvre, built between 1844 and 1847, embodies a rare example of 19th-century industrial architecture, combining technical innovation and neo-classical aesthetics. Sponsored by Alexandre-Jean-Marie Aguado (Marquis de Las Marismas), Jean-Louis Boigues (metallurgical industrialist) and engineer Achille Dufaud, it is distinguished by its coal hall and its mixed iron-wood frame, designed for optimal ventilation. The monumental gables, inspired by neo-classicism, underline its architectural ambition, while its structure reflects the advances of the industrial revolution.

The workers' housing, built around 1833-1834, forms a unique unit in France: housing units served by outdoor shopping galleries, foreshadowing modern working-class cities. This complex, classified as a Historical Monument (1999 for the hall, 2004 for the galleries), is evidence of a new social organisation linked to industrialization. It also illustrates the collaboration between aristocracy (Aguado), industrial bourgeoisie (Boigues) and technical expertise (Dufaud), characteristic of the economic dynamics of the Centre-Val de Loire in the 19th century.

Located 2 roads from Véreaux to Grossouvre (Dear), the factory is today communal property. Its state of conservation and its location (precision: 6/10) make it a key site for understanding the evolution of French industrial landscapes. The protected elements — the coal hall and the Galeries building — underline its dual heritage: technological (metallurgy) and social (worker's housing).

External links

Page Monumentum