Habitation Pecoul

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Pecoul house, located in Basse-Pointe in Martinique, is an old 18th and 19th century agricultural property, organized around a main house surrounded by industrial buildings and gardens. Its aisle of coconut trees, classified as a historical monument, leads to a mansion and outbuildings dating from 1778, supplemented by utility buildings around 1802. The estate, about 176 hectares, includes a piece of water fed by the Pocquet River and the remains of a sugar factory, witness to its past linked to the production of sugar cane and rum from 1818.

Originally, the land belonged to Claude Pocquet, an influential figure in Martinique in the 17th century, before being fragmented and passed on to various owners, including Jean François Pécoul in 1777, who gave him his present name. The property remained in his progeny, with Auguste François Pécoul, deputy of Martinique in 1848, then his daughter Augusta, married to Henry d'Origny, who will restore the whole in the 20th century. Despite the damage caused by Cyclone David in 1979, the site retains a lush garden and iconic architectural elements, such as the waterfall and the stone walls.

Classified as a historical monument in 1996, the Pécoul dwelling illustrates the typical spatial organization of martiniquia sugar houses, with a central house, worker boxes (now missing), and infrastructure dedicated to agricultural production. Its history reflects the economic and social transformations of Martinique, marked by slavery, the mechanization of agriculture and the evolution of the lifestyles of landowners. The site, now privately owned, remains a major testimony of the island's colonial and industrial heritage.

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