Opening of the well 1859 (≈ 1859)
Construction started by the Compagnie de Douvrin.
1861
Start of extraction
Start of extraction 1861 (≈ 1861)
Low and irregular initial production.
1873
Purchase by Lens
Purchase by Lens 1873 (≈ 1873)
Acquisition for 500,000 francs.
1920
Post-war reconstruction
Post-war reconstruction 1920 (≈ 1920)
Horses in reinforced concrete erected.
1936
End of extraction
End of extraction 1936 (≈ 1936)
Posse preserved for ventilation.
2004
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 2004 (≈ 2004)
Protection of horse riding and buildings.
2012
UNESCO registration
UNESCO registration 2012 (≈ 2012)
World Heritage of the Mining Basin.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The horse riding and its adjoining buildings, remains of the old pit 6 (cf. A 883): registration by order of 23 November 2004
Key figures
Alfred Descamps - The equivalent of the pit
Fosse renowned in his honor.
Origin and history
The pit No. 6, known as Saint-Alfred or Alfred Descamps, was originally opened in 1859 by the Compagnie des mines de Douvrin in Haisnes, near Lens. Its operation began in 1861, but production remained low due to irregular coal veins and financial difficulties. The Compagnie de Douvrin, in judicial liquidation, ceded the pit and its concession to the Compagnie des mines de Lens in 1873 for 500,000 francs. Under this new management, extraction intensified, reaching up to 67,000 tons in 1879, despite geologically complex terrain.
During the First World War, the pit was destroyed and rebuilt in the 1920s according to the uniform architectural style of the Lens mines, with a characteristic reinforced concrete chime. The extraction ceased in 1936, but the site was still used for the ventilation of nearby pit number 13. Nationalized in 1946, the pit was finally filled in 1959, although its buildings were preserved.
In the 21st century, the site was protected: listed as a historical monument in 2004 and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012 as part of the Mining Basin. In 2018, an expropriation procedure was initiated to preserve this vestige, the last example of concrete straddling of the type "Lens mines", and to give it a cultural and tourist vocation.
The underground facilities included a 240-metre-deep main well with 178- and 213-metre-long hooks, and a 1,200-metre-deck (internal well) burrow to the south. Coal layers, although thin (8.1 % volatile), were exploited until resource depletion. The pit thus illustrates the technical and economic challenges of the regional mining industry, between innovations and geological constraints.
The post-1918 reconstruction marked an architectural standardization, with functional buildings and an iconic chivalry, a symbol of mine modernization. After nationalization, the site became a link of the Lens-Liévin Group, before being gradually abandoned. Today, it bears witness to the industrial heritage of the Hauts-de-France, between worker memory and preservation stakes.
Housing built after 1946 near the pit is reminiscent of mining-related urbanization, while the annual BRGM inspections highlight contemporary security and heritage concerns. The S51 (2004) decompression survey and the materialization of the wellhead by Charbonnages de France complete its technical history.
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