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Origin and history

The forge of Vrigne-aux-Bois was built between 1822 and 1823 by the master of forges Jean-Nicolas Gendarme, on the stream of the Vrigne, at the location of an old mill acquired in 1813. The factory aligns three bodies of buildings organized around a compartmented pond to exploit hydraulic force. The four parallel halls, characteristic of the industrial architecture of the period, housed the forge, the blast furnace (working with charcoal) and two coal reserves. Cut stone facades, skylights and slate roofs reflect a rare aesthetic concern for utility buildings.

The ensemble was completed in 1825 by workers' housing, called the Caserne, and a employers' castle (now a communal school), all built in limestone. Iron draughts dated MG 1825 on the north gable attest to this period. The forge initially produced cannon pellets, the source of Gendarme's fortune, before diversifying into hardware. The blast furnace, authorized by royal ordinance in 1824, consumed 1,400 m3 of ore and 5,200 kilolitres of charcoal annually to produce 800,000 kg of cast iron, partly processed on site.

In 1848, the forge housed a refinery fireplace, two puddle ovens, martinets and a rolling mill, while the blast furnace and coal halls remained in operation. After the death of Gendarme, her daughter Marguerite Gendarme-Evain rented the site in 1876 to the Dardenne family, who made hardware there until 1935. The Creton family then took over until the final closure in 1969. During this period, turbines and a steam engine were added to modernize production. Today, the facades, roofs, pond and hydraulic system have been protected since 1991 as historical monuments.

The site illustrates the technological evolution of the Ardennes forges, moving from charcoal to coal imported from Liège, and the transition from military production (bullets) to civilian goods (ironing irons, hardware). The buildings, although partially in ruins (a roof collapse around 1985), retain unique architectural elements, such as the oculi of the pediments or flat pilasters, taken over in other factories in the area such as the Fenderie or the Fourneau de Vendresse.

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