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Origin and history

The Langevin factory is a former sugar factory built around 1853 by Gabriel Le Coat of Kerveguen, an influential member of his family, on the right bank of the Langevin River, in the heights of Saint Joseph at La Réunion. It operated as a sugar factory until the early 1900s, before converting into the production of textile fibres from choka (agave), then hosting greenhouses and a municipal nursery.

The site was first protected in 2002, with the registration of one of its chimneys and land. A 2022 order extended this protection to all the remains, including the two chimneys, the ruins of the factory, as well as the old hydraulic wheel and its supply channel. These elements, located at the place called Bois-Noir, are now owned by the commune of Saint-Joseph.

The factory illustrates the economic evolution of Réunion, moving from sugar production, a pillar of the colonial economy in the nineteenth century, to diversified agricultural activities (textile, horticulture). Its industrial architecture and technical remains, such as the hydraulic wheel, make it a rare testimony of this period.

The location of the factory, about one kilometre from the Indian Ocean and near the Langevin River, reflects the strategic choice of industrial settlements of the time, combining access to water (for motor power) and proximity to sugar cane growing areas. Today, the site, although partially in ruins, remains a marker of the industrial heritage of Réunion.

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