Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Autin brush shop of Saint-Félix, located on the banks of the Thérain, has its origin in a seigneurial wheat mill mentioned in the 16th century as a dependency of the abbey Saint-Lucien de Beauvais. Purchased as a National Good at the Revolution after belonging to the Benedictines until 1766, the site was transformed in 1839 by the industrialists Achez and Leclerc, who installed a weir and three hydraulic wheels for a sawmill. The activity evolved towards brushing after its acquisition in 1892 by Fleury-Cossart, which developed the production of toothbrushes while maintaining the work of the los.

In 1864, the site passed under the direction of Mascré, which established a sawmill and a laundry, marking the beginning of its industrial vocation. Around 1880, major expansions were made, including the addition of three sheds (date 1884) in the second workshop. The employer housing, made of brick and stone, probably dates from this period or from the Fleury-Cossart era. In 1910 Albert Autin acquired the factory and modernized the infrastructure, adding four cheds around 1920 and three more around 1950, while electrifying the site around 1930.

The factory maintains outstanding 19th-century equipment, including a vertical hydraulic wheel of the Poncelet type (1830–40) and a Watt-type ball regulator signed Granger (Rouen). The trademarks of Falconia (circa 1895) for toothbrush and Doctor Grange (circa 1920) for badgers testify to his commercial influence. Closed in 1979, the brush shop was classified as a Historic Monument in 1990 for its buildings (West and East mussels, sheds, hydraulic wheels) and transformed into a museum in 1994, preserving original machines, tools and mechanisms.

Architecturally, the site combines medieval elements (stone sprocket of the East mill, foothills) and industrial (brick workshops, sheds, roof in mechanical tile). The partly medieval West Mill and the East Mill, with its intact hydraulic mechanisms, illustrate the transition between traditional craftsmanship and the industrial revolution. The Sagebien type wheel and brush tools (hole hole machines, mowers) complement this exceptional technical heritage.

Socially, the factory employs up to 125 workers around 1910, a figure which declined to 40 employees in 1970, reflecting the economic changes of the 20th century. Its history crosses those of the local abbeys (Saint Lucien de Beauvais), the Bien Nationaux, and rural industrialization, while documenting the evolution of the crafts of brushing, tabletry and buttonmaking in the Hauts-de-France.

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