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Origin and history

The former offices of the Thivencelles and Fresnes-Midi mining company, located in Fresnes-sur-Escaut, date from the first quarter of the 20th century. This 17th-century manerist-style building served as the entrance pavilion to the mining company's administration. It allowed access to an inner courtyard surrounded by other buildings, with a fence wall to the south. After World War I, the entrance door was modified to incorporate grids into the company's initials, reflecting the period of nationalization.

The Compagnie des mines de Thivencelles et Fresnes-Midi was founded in 1841 after the merger of three companies: Thivencelle, Fresnes-Midi and Condéenne. These companies had begun surveys in 1837 in an unexploited area of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais mining basin, after the discovery of coal in 1720. The concessions granted in 1841 covered 1,546 hectares, including the sites of Escaupont, Thivencelle and Saint-Aybert. Several pits were opened, including the Soult, Saint Peter and Saint-Aybert pits, which played a key role in coal extraction until 1946.

The Soult pits, opened in 1839 and 1845, were among the most productive, with an extraction reaching 95,900 tons in the 1920s. The Saint Peter pit, opened in 1861, experienced initial difficulties due to unstable terrain, but became productive after deepening in the 1870s. The Saint-Aybert pit, opened in 1925, served mainly as a ventilation and emergency well. After nationalization, these sites were integrated into the Valenciennes Group before their final closure between 1956 and 1989.

The office entrance pavilion, located at 36 rue du Maréchal-Soult, was partially modified after World War I. In 1960, a reorganization project planned the closure of the pavilion and the establishment of a health centre, a pharmacy and a health centre. Today, the facades and roofs of the pavilion have been protected since 2010 and are home to the Hotel de Vie, a communal social action centre (CCAS).

The company of the Thivencelles and Fresnes-Midi mines marked the industrial history of the region, with a maximum production of 214,490 tons in 1939 at the pit Saint Peter. The pits were gradually closed after nationalization, and the sites were redeveloped or filled. The administrative building remains an architectural testimony of this mining era, now integrated into local life as a public space.

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