Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de la Forge in Savignac-Lédrier, located in the Dordogne department in New Aquitaine, is an exceptional testimony of the alliance between seigneurial architecture and industrial activity. Its history dates back to the end of the Hundred Years War (15th century), with a water concession contract attesting to the early existence of a forge on the site. The castle, built between the 14th and 16th centuries, consists of a body of main houses flanked by two cylindrical towers, and has a Renaissance door decorated with columns and a triangular pediment.

The forge associated with the castle is one of the best preserved ancient metallurgical ensembles in southwestern France. Its origins date back to 1521, when it belonged to Jean d'Albret before being bought in 1566 by Jeanne d'Albret. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the masters of forges, including the Pasquet family, developed the site with the construction of a coal hall, a canteen and a master house. In the 19th century, under Louis Combescot, the forges experienced its industrial climax, which modernized the installations in 1819 with a blast furnace of 11 metres (1820), a gas recovery system (1870), and cement furnaces (1871).

In the 19th century, the forge diversified its production by making cannons for the navy, then keys and tips at the beginning of the 20th century. The blast furnace flow ceased in 1930, and nail production stopped in 1975. The site, isolated and wild, was safeguarded in the 1980s, including the reconstitution of the hydraulic wheel and the boot. The castle and the forge, classified as a historical monument in 1979, also preserve commons and a farm from the 18th to the 18th century, illustrating the economic autonomy of the estate with its fenils, pigs and old ovens.

External links