Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Perrusson tilery, established in 1860 at Écuisses by Jean-Marie Perrusson, specialized in the production of bricks, tiles, and ceramic ornaments. The company, which was active until 1960, employed up to 300 workers in 1900 and entered the industrial landscape of the "Ceramic Valley", organized around the Central Canal. The Perrusson villa, built between 1869 and 1900, was used as a business residence and as a showcase for factory productions, with facades and interiors richly decorated with ceramics and Art Nouveau motifs.

The villa, built in two phases (1869 for the house body, 1890-1900 for the north wing by architect Tony Ferret), was designed as an architectural catalogue of commercialized models. Between 1896 and 1904, the sculptor Noël Ruffier led the art department, contributing to the aesthetics of ornaments. The company's management passed successively to the Perrusson and Desfontaines, families bound by an alliance, until its closure in 1960, marked by liquidation in 1959.

After the disappearance of the industrial buildings, replaced by a metal recovery company, the villa and its outbuildings (orangery, stables, workers' town) were preserved. The villa, which was listed as a historical monument in 2001 (extended in 2007), was acquired by the Creusot Montceau urban community in 2008. Since then, restoration campaigns have allowed its reopening to the public, integrated into the Creusot-Montceau Museum, with contemporary exhibitions in its park since 2016.

The working-class town of Écuisses, built between 1885 and 1900 near the canal of the Centre, included 28 dwellings, a grocery store, and commercial spaces, reflecting the industrial paternalism of the time. The Perrusson family extended its activity to other sites, such as Saint-Léger-sur-Dheune (1866-1956), Sancoins (Dear, from 1871), and Fontafie (Charente, 1878-1988). The company's archives, digitized by the Ecomuseum, offer a valuable testimony to this industrial dynamic.

Today, Villa Perrusson and its restored gardens welcome guided tours and cultural events. The interiors, partially rehabilitated in 2022, reveal ceramic tiles, Art Nouveau fireplaces, and polychrome tiles, while the fence wall in "missed" tiles recalls the productive history of the site. The ensemble illustrates the heritage of Burgundian ceramic industries and their integration into the local heritage.

External links