Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

In 1906, the Manufacture de papiers Hébert moved to 180 rue de Bordeaux in Angoulême, in premises initially occupied by 19th-century funeral directors, which were especially enlarged for the occasion. Founded in 1878 by Lemeteyer and Hébert under the name Manufacture of papers of Angoulême, the company specializes in paper shaping, envelopes, business cards, and cardboard boxes. Led by Édouard Hébert, she quickly modernized her operations, moving from manual to industrial machinery, while maintaining a craft structure.

The main workshop, characterized by a shed roof supported by wooden poles, houses a complete production chain: folding envelopes, making notebooks, and printing. A two-storey employer housing with a span façade is adjacent to the industrial buildings. In 1923, an extension was built for the packaging and cardboard factory, near the former Abbey of Saint-Cybard. The activity ceased between 1960 and 1970, but the site, classified as Historic Monument in 2001, retained intact its original machinery and spatial organization.

Owned by the Charente department, the factory illustrates the industrial history of Angoulême, a city historically linked to paper since the Middle Ages. Its classification protects all buildings and machinery in situ, offering a rare testimony to the production techniques of the early twentieth century. Although closed to the public in the state, its preservation raises questions about its heritage and tourism value, in a region marked by New Aquitaine and its artisanal heritage.

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