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Origin and history

The Saint-Frères factory in Beauval is part of the history of a textile industrial dynasty founded in 1814 by three brothers, Pierre-François, Jean-Baptiste and Pierre-François Saint. Originally from Beauval, these weavers specialize first in wrapping cloths before dominant French jute production from 1845, a robust fibre imported from the British Indies. Their success depends on a strong family organization, strategic marriages and rapid diversification: spinning, weaving, and even a private industrial railway (1865-1888) to connect their plants in the Nièvre Valley.

The company's peak coincides with the Belle Époque, where Saint-Frères became the first national jute producer, employing up to 9,000 workers in the Somme. Their paternalistic model, inspired by social Catholicism, includes housing, schools, cooperatives and medical services, creating an almost autarctic system. However, the crisis of the 1930s and the rise of synthetic fibres after 1950 precipitated its decline. Repurchased in 1969 by Agache-Willot, then joined the Boussac group (liquidated in 2000), marked the end of this empire.

The Beauval site, which has been partially protected since 2015 for its facades and roofs of the offices and the housing manager, illustrates 19th century industrial architecture. Today, the name Saint-Frères survives through companies specialized in technical textiles (Sioen Industries), perpetuating a legacy both economic and social. The factory remains a symbol of industrial change and employer relations in Picardie.

Jute production, initially stimulated by agricultural needs and maritime transport, is declining in the face of foreign competition (United Kingdom, India) and technological innovations. Despite attempts to modernize (circular loom), the company is unable to adapt to the polymer age. The massive layoffs of the 1930s revealed the limits of paternalism, while the final closure in the 20th century ended a major chapter in French textile history.

The Beauval plant is integrated into a network of 13 pickard sites, including Flixecourt (operational headquarters) and Amiens. These plants, connected by a private rail network, formed an integrated complex, from spinning to finished product. Their utilitarian architecture, often in brick, reflects the functional needs of the time, while the social works (Flixecourt Red Castle) bear witness to a philanthropic ambition combined with strict control of the workers.

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