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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Bohin Manufacture, located in Saint-Sulpice-sur-Risle, Orne, is an industrial site emblematic of Normandy. Founded in 1833 by Benjamin Bohin, she moved to this site in 1866 after starting as a manufacturer of iron and wood objects in L'Aigle. The factory, originally composed of a foundry, a copper wire mill, a pin and a needle mill, was rebuilt largely around 1880 after a fire in 1877. It then took on a major industrial dimension, while retaining historical elements such as the hydraulic force used by the Bouilland brothers in 1819 to produce saddle loops.

In 1893, the company acquired a factory in Bouviers, specializing in staples and phonographic needles. The Bohin Manufacture, still in operation, is partially classified as a Historical Monument in 1995 for its facades, roofs, boiler room and fireplace. Its history is marked by a rare industrial continuity, with enlargements in 1901 and uninterrupted production since the 19th century. The site illustrates the evolution of techniques and the adaptation of a family enterprise to the industrial era, while preserving ancestral machinery and know-how.

In the 2000s, a museum project was launched to enhance this heritage. Inaugurated in 2014, the museum traces the history of the manufacture, its territorial anchoring in the Ouche Country, and its link with other Norman know-how, such as the Alençon lace, classified at UNESCO. The museum tour, designed by architect Jean-Marie Mandon and designer François Confino, includes workshops in operation, exhibitions on art professions and cultural activities. The visitor thus discovers a living business, where heritage production and transmission coexist.

The Bohin Manufacture is also part of a cultural and tourist dynamic, with temporary exhibitions (such as those dedicated to Benjamin Bohin or cinema animation in pins), textile art competitions, and partnerships with contemporary artists. She participates in regional events, such as the Normandy Impressionist Festival, and collaborates with institutions to promote industrial heritage. The site, a private property, remains a unique example of active conservation of a technical and human heritage, while opening up to the public.

The company was able to preserve an archive and 19th-century machines, offering a concrete testimony of industrialisation in Normandy. The buildings, which had not been modified since 1901, still had traditional manufacturing processes, such as wire-drawing or needle polishing. This mixture of modernity and tradition, coupled with an innovative museum, makes the Bohin Manufacture a must-see place to understand French industrial history and the challenges of preserving intangible heritage.

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