First traces of exploitation 1541 (≈ 1541)
Carboniferous site mentioned for the first time.
1743
Modernisation by René de Mailly
Modernisation by René de Mailly 1743 (≈ 1743)
Royal privilege obtained for extraction.
1806
Grant of the Tranchée
Grant of the Tranchée 1806 (≈ 1806)
Official allocation of the mining concession.
1822
Installation steam machine
Installation steam machine 1822 (≈ 1822)
Winch mechanics and pumping.
1874-1875
Construction of horse riding
Construction of horse riding 1874-1875 (≈ 1875)
Work by architect Edmond Heusschen.
1891
Production peak
Production peak 1891 (≈ 1891)
16,206 tonnes of coal extracted.
1892
Final closure
Final closure 1892 (≈ 1892)
End of extraction and production.
2004
Registration historical monument
Registration historical monument 2004 (≈ 2004)
Protection of the entire site.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The following elements composing the whole of the large mining straddling (see plan annexed to the decree): the straddling of the old coal mine (with the room of the steam machine and the housing of the mechanic); lime ovens; the base ground of the ensemble (see Box AM 88 : part of the site's plate ground, 89 : straddling, 91 : room of the steam machine and housing of the mechanic, 285 : part of the site's plate ground, 294 : battery of the seven lime ovens) : inscription by order of 1 March 2004
Key figures
René de Mailly - Lord of Montjean and Baron
Modernized the extraction in 1743.
Edmond Heusschen - Belgian architect
Designed the chivalry in 1874-1875.
Origin and history
The Tranchée coal mine, located in Montjean-sur-Loire (present-day delegate commune of Mauges-sur-Loire), is operated until the end of the 19th century. The site includes an 185-metre deep well, a 32-metre masonry chivalry built in 1874-1875, and seven lime kilns and a Watt steam machine. This mining and industrial complex, which was listed as historic monuments in 2004, illustrates the region's carboniferous and lime-rich activity.
Coal mining in the coal basin of Basse-Loire dates back at least to 1541, with a modernization in 1743 under the impulse of Baron René de Mailly, lord of Montjean, who obtained a royal privilege. The Tranchée concession was officially granted in 1806, and the well was dug before 1839 by the Compagnie minière d'Evain. The peak of production was reached in 1891 with 16,206 tons extracted, before the final closure in 1892.
The horse riding, designed by Belgian architect Edmond Heusschen, is the most massive of the thirteen still existing in France. It housed a steam machine powered lift system, while the lime kilns, powered directly by extracted coal, transformed the local limestone. The site, located on the left bank of the Loire River, reflects the integration of mining, industrial and river activities in the 19th century.
The mined deposit belongs geologically to Namurien (-325 to -315 million years) and Stéphanien (-307 to -299 million years), in the low-lying coalfield. The Tranchée mine is one of the 11 concessions in the basin, with an estimated total production of 500,000 tonnes of coal. Its inscription in 2004 covers horse riding, ovens, steam machine and plate ground.
The protected elements also include the mechanic's housing and dock on the Loire River, reflecting the spatial organization of a complete industrial site. The furnaces, built in 1875, formed a truncated pyramidal building, while the steam machine, installed in 1822, was also used for pumping infiltration water. This technical and architectural heritage is today a rare testimony of the industrial era in Anjou.
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