Draught of the well 1932-1935 (≈ 1934)
Well drilled up to 801 meters deep.
2 décembre 1938
Fire and destruction
Fire and destruction 2 décembre 1938 (≈ 1938)
Two dead, initial straddling destroyed.
1939
Reconstruction of horse riding
Reconstruction of horse riding 1939 (≈ 1939)
New half-metal straddle.
21 octobre 1948
Minor strike
Minor strike 21 octobre 1948 (≈ 1948)
Violent confrontation with CRS.
1978
Well closure
Well closure 1978 (≈ 1978)
End of coal mining.
14 mai 2008
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 14 mai 2008 (≈ 2008)
Registered with label *Heritage of the 20th century*.
2010
Restoration of the site
Restoration of the site 2010 (≈ 2010)
Facility Preservation Building.
septembre 2012
Night lighting
Night lighting septembre 2012 (≈ 2012)
Architectural presentation of the chivalry.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
All the mining installations of the Puits Ricard, namely the well and its annexes, the engine room with these, the bathroom building - showers (also known as "the hangman's room" and currently the museum of the minor) with their specific facilities and the workshop of the headquarters of exploitation (see AL 22, 34, 35, 52, 53): registration by order of 14 May 2008
Key figures
Charles Tournay - Liegeian engineer
Manufacturer of horse riding, died in 1939.
Jules Moch - Socialist Minister
Ordonna expelled the strikers in 1948.
Origin and history
The Ricard well is a former coal mine located in La Grand-Combe, Gard department, Occitanie region. Died between 1932 and 1935 up to 801 metres deep, it was marked by a fire in 1938 which destroyed its initial straddling and caused two victims. A new chivalry, designed by engineer Charles Tournay, was erected in 1939, but the latter was killed in a fall during the works. The site became a symbol of social struggles, especially during the 1948 strike of minors, where violent clashes opposed strikers and law enforcement forces.
The Ricard well ceased operations in 1978, but its buildings were preserved to become a museum. Registered as a historical monument in 2008 with the 20th century Heritage label, the site was restored in 2010. Today it includes horse riding, extraction machine, bath-dowels (known as hangers room), and a museum retracing local mining history. Its night lighting, installed in 2012, highlights this architectural and industrial testimony of the Cevennes.
The mining complex is part of a broader history, which began in the 19th century with coal mining which gave birth to the commune of La Grand-Combe in 1846. Workers' towns, administrative offices and technical installations (such as the Venot extraction machine of 1948) illustrate the evolution of the techniques and living conditions of minors. After the closure in 1978, some of the facilities were dismantled in 1989-1990, but the Ricard well remained a major remnant of this industrial heritage.
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