Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The slates of La Pouëze, located in the Armenian Massif near Angers, exploit a slate shale deposit aligned with that of Trelaze. As early as the 15th century, open-air farms existed in the west of the commune, such as La Pinardière and La Bichetière. The activity intensified in the 19th century with the arrival of specialized families, such as the Chesneaux, Gasnier and Bellanger, who came from Saint-Quentin-les-Anges in 1797 after the closure of a slate in Chatelais.

Between 1800 and 1830, a dozen workers worked for "little masters". Industrialised production: in 1832, the Fiogée quarry employed 90 workers and produced 3 to 4 million slates annually. In 1858, research explains the collapse of Erdre, linked to water discharges from quarries. The peak occurred between 1832 and 1885, with a production of 5 to 7 million slates per year, thanks to sites such as Clos-Colas, Espérance or Carterie.

Well 1 (La Carterie), dug around 1870, was destroyed in 1899 by a fire causing four deaths. The No.3 well, built in 1922 with a unique wooden chivalry in Europe, became emblematic. Ranked a historic monument in 1999, it collapsed in 2011 before being reconstructed identically in 2014. Activity declined after 1989, following a collapse condemning the Carterie, and ceased definitively in 1997.

The slates had a profound impact on local life: an influx of Britons in the 19th century, unionization in 1913, and frequent accidents (scaling, falls, fires). In 1952, the site produced 4% of the national slate. Remnants include workers' cities (Fiogée, Pouëzettes), the straddling of well number 3, and administrative offices.

Underground mining gradually replaces open pit quarries with techniques such as "bottle well" or "upstream" extraction. The Ardoisières d'Angers Commission controlled the site from 1891 onwards. Despite innovations (downhill in 1980), Trélaze's competition and geological hazards seal the end of the activity.

The memory of the ardoisières continues through cultural works, such as the paintings of Stani Nitkowski, son of a Polish minor, or the writings of philosopher Alfred Fouillée, born in La Pouëze in 1838, whose father was director of the career of the Fiogée.

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