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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Cunin-Gridaine linen factory, located 9 rue de Bayle in Sedan (Ardennes), is an emblematic example of the 19th century textile industrial heritage. Built of cut stone, it consists of a ordered five-span facade, an inner courtyard and a wing adjacent to the House of Big Dogs. Its ground floor has continuous bossing, while the floors are separated by bands. The ensemble, disused since 1880, reflects the utilitarian and elegant architecture of the manufactures of the period.

The factory was founded by Laurent Cunin-Gridaine, industrialist and future minister of industry under Louis-Philippe, who expanded the site in 1823 after the acquisition of the Gros-Chiens factory. In 1853, a steam machine was installed there, modernizing production. Converted into houses in 1880, the factory was classified as a Historic Monument in 1991 for its facades, roofs and interior elements like the southern staircase. The personal residence of Cunin-Gridaine, built between 1840 and 1848, is located at 8 rue de Bayle, opposite the industrial site.

The site is part of the economic history of the Ardennes, a region that has specialized in the production of fine sheets since the 17th century. The Cunin-Gridaine family, who owned the plots in 1820, embodied the entrepreneurial dynamism of Sedan, the flagship city of the French textile industry. The buildings, mentioned on the 1841 cadastre, combine industrial and residential functions, typical of the manufacturing complexes of the period.

Protection for Historic Monuments in 1991 underscores the heritage value of the site, despite its early decommissioning. The protected elements include stone facades, roofs, as well as the south staircase and alley separating the factory from the house of the Gros Chien. Today, the former factory recalls the climax and decline of the sedan industry, marked by the mechanization and economic changes of the nineteenth century.

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