Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Sécrestat distillery, located 40-50 cours du Médoc in Bordeaux, was built in 1898 by architect Ernest Minvielle for Maison Sécrestat, specialized in liquors and spirits. Founded by Pierre-Jules-Honoré Secrestat, this company enjoyed a boom thanks to its Bitter Secrestat, a gentian-based beverage, and operated from 1902 to 1973. The building, representative of the industrial architecture of the late nineteenth century, combines brick, stone and metallic elements, with a neo-17th century facade noted for its harmonious composition.

After its closure in 1973, the distillery was threatened with destruction in the 1990s due to Bordeaux urban projects. Despite mixed opinions (the inspector of the Historic Monuments considering the facade as the only one of interest, while others stressed the rarity of its brick chimney), it was listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments in 1993. Its chimney, vestige of the disappeared industrial landscapes, and its facade decorated with garlands and pediments were key arguments for its preservation.

Rehabilitated in 1991, the distillery became the Goupil Museum, dedicated to industrial image, housing the collections of the Goupil House (print, photographs, archives). This choice was explained by the architectural eclecticism of the place, combining red brick, blonde stone and metal structures. The museum, conceived as a conservatory of image reproduction techniques, offered educational exhibitions and an engraving workshop. However, the collections were later transferred to the Musée d'Aquitaine, and the building, now closed to the public, serves as its headquarters.

The building illustrates the Henry IV style, running under the Second Empire among the trading bourgeoisie, with a symmetrical nine-span facade, a volute balcony, and garland decorations. Inside, cast iron pillars and segmental crib sturds support the floors, while the underground bowl, equipped with cement and glass tanks, could store 1.5 million litres of brandy. The distillery reflects the golden age of Bordeaux spirits, where about ten houses, including Secrestat, exported famous brands such as Anisette and Curaçao.

Pierre-Jules-Honoré Sécrestat (1822–1905), founder of the company, began as an apprentice liquidist before settling in Bordeaux in 1852. A local politician, he was a municipal councillor of Bordeaux (1869–77), contributing to projects such as the Marché des Chartrons and then mayor of Saint-Pierre-de-Chignac. Passionate about viticulture, he acquired the Château de Lardimalie in Périgord and established a vineyard there, completing his empire with two cellars designed by the same architect as the distillery. His death in 1905 marked a turning point, although production continued until 1973.

Today, the Sécrestat distillery embodies a fragile industrial heritage, saved in extremis by citizen mobilizations and debates on the heritage value of technical sites. Its registration in 1993 enshrines the late recognition of these buildings, often sacrificed to the benefit of urbanization. Although its collections have left the place, its architecture and fireplace still bear witness to the economic history of Bordeaux, between trade in spirits and industrial revolution.

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