Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The ChauSupplier sites of the White House and Châteaupanne, located in Mauges-sur-Loire (formerly Montjean-sur-Loire), date mainly from the 19th century, although their exploitation dates back to at least the 17th century or even the Middle Ages. These vertical lime kilns were used to produce lime by burning calcite and coal, first for construction sites, then to amend acidic soils, playing a key role in the agricultural revolution in western France. The site is now classified as a historical monument (1987) and integrated into a Natura 2000 area for its ecological richness, combining limestone cliffs, karst caves and xerophilic lawns sheltering protected species such as the Orchis man-pendu.

The limestone enclave of Châteaupanne, spanning 26.7 hectares, is a geological vestige of the Armenian Massif, marked by marine sediments dated Ordovician and Devonian. In 2006, the discovery of fossils of Armoricaphyton castlepannense — 407 million-year-old woody plants — disrupted knowledge of wood evolution, proving that it appeared before leaves to facilitate sap circulation. The site also preserves industrial ruins of the 19th century, such as the La Jalousie, Clermont and the Union ovens, a chauvinity, or the remains of a steam machine, witnesses to the local pre-industrial era.

By the end of the 18th century, half a dozen ovens were already operating, exploited by Belgian engineer Edmond Heusschen before they were modernized in the 19th century. In 1854 he acquired the mining concessions and extended the installations, introducing industrial techniques such as a cable car and a steam machine. Lime production, essential for agriculture and construction, declined in the 20th century, but the site was preserved for its geological, archaeological and ecological heritage. Today, it combines biodiversity protection (orchids, germinated) and industrial memory, with buildings classified as the foreman's house or the former canteen.

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