"Usine métallurgique située au lieudit "le Fourneau""

English translation

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History

The metallurgical establishments of the val d'Aubois are among the oldest forges of Berry. Iron production dominates the valley when the indirect process, which involves the production of cast iron, is adopted from the end of the 14th century. A seigneurial blast furnace must have been used until the beginning of the 18th century. In 1780, a blast furnace is rebuilt for the comte Morgier de Fougières, testifying to iron production in Old Regime Berry. Situated on the pond, the blast furnace, doubled around 1843, constitutes an example of the first industrial revolution. It is extended to the west by stores for iron and coal, built no doubt in the 18th century and transformed around 1840; and to the north by the remains of the casting hall built after 1834. In 1843, construction of a building grouping the industrial store and the office, presenting a decoration of brick and stone, as well as openings underlined by ashlar rustication. The blast furnaces and the hall are of neo-classical inspiration. Within the perimeter of the forge are found the house of the manager and the dwellings of the blacksmiths, erected in a continuous manner but differentiated, characteristic of forges from the second half of the 18th century.