Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The estate of Échoisy, located in Cellettes in Charente, extends over 40 hectares and houses the remains of a lime oven factory built around 1850 by Jean-Auguste Modenel, a notable local and mayor of the commune. The activity, flourishing thanks to the exceptional quality of the lime produced, was stimulated by the construction of the railway line Paris-Bordeaux (1852), facilitating the transport of materials. The factory, including four hydraulic lime kilns and two heavy lime kilns, as well as a limestone quarry, operated until 1956, when it closed in the face of competition from cement.

The site, which was listed as a historical monument in 1994, preserves the entire production chain, from machinery to tools, to ancillary buildings such as the hangar of the bullocks or the milling workshop. During the First World War, the French Navy placed major orders there, highlighting its strategic role. After its abandonment, the estate was bought in 1993 by the commune of Cellettes and partly managed since 2021 by the collective citizen Oasis du Coq à l ́soul, who experimented there with models of ecological and societal transition.

The history of the estate dates back to the 11th century, marked by monastic occupations (Benedictins of Saint-Amant-de-Boixe, Cistercians) and seigneurial ones, before becoming a place of polyculture and handicrafts (moulins, tiles). In the 16th century, a first lime oven was installed, a precursor to the 19th century industry. The castle built around 1750 was destroyed in 1850 by order of Modenel, whose stones were used to encroach the approaches of the river.

Today, the estate combines industrial heritage and biodiversity, hosting agricultural projects (spirulina farm, educational farm) and citizen initiatives. Its cooperative organisation, focusing on food autonomy and energy sobriety, makes it a "living laboratory" supervised by a scientific committee. The entrance door, framed by doric pilasters, and the renovated mill recall its neo-classical and artisanal architectural heritage.

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