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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Royal Manufacture of Bed linen of Abbeville, known as Manufacture des Rames, was founded in 1665 at the initiative of Colbert. The latter invited Josse Van Robais, a Dutch linen and tapestry manufacturer, to settle in France with financial aid. The factory, specialized in luxury sheets, quickly became one of the largest industrial establishments of its time, employing up to 3,000 workers at its peak around 1724. Its productions were exported to European prices.

The current building, built between 1709 and 1713, centralized the workshops scattered throughout the city. Its monumental Louis XVI-style portal is decorated with motifs evoking the maritime trade and the Golden Fleece. The factory experienced financial difficulties during the French Revolution, leading to its transformation into a private company (Van Robais, Amelin and Cie) before being bought in 1804 by Michel Grandin, then by Jean-Baptiste Randoing.

Activity declined after the Free Trade Treaty with England in 1860, and production finally ceased in 1867. The buildings were taken over by a carpet factory, which closed in 1912. Today, the site is made up of housing units. The factory illustrates French industrial history, marked by technical innovations and economic challenges, including mechanization in the 19th century and foreign competition.

The Protestant Van Robais were granted special permission to worship, despite the restrictions of the time. Their company employed not only workshop workers, but also more than 10,000 homeworkers, according to historian Odile Castel. This model foreshadowed large modern private manufacturing.

Ranked a Historic Monument, the factory retains remarkable architectural elements, such as the dovecote, the facades of the workshops and the employer's housing. These remains bear witness to its economic and social importance, as well as its adaptation to industrial developments, from artisanal production to mechanization.

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