Manufacture des Trois-Tours

English translation

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History

The manufactory, created in 1829, was established in 1841 in the former post house "Au lion d'or", whose address was at no. 33 (then 25) of the quai de Saint-Symphorien. This building, originally a simple hôtel particulier, dates in part from the 18th century. Fey and Martin, the founders, reused this building for the management office and dwellings. The return wing situated to the east and the other, lower one, situated to the west for use as stable then converted into workshop, are both subsequent. Indeed, they both encroached on the decoration of piers adorned with table bosses which decorated the courtyard façade. The great workshop at the back of the courtyard very probably dates from 1853, the date on which employers and weaver workers celebrated the inauguration of the enlargement of the workshops. This building presents a long central body flanked by two short wings situated in its continuity. It will be noted that the mouldings of the western extremity are substantially wider and that the roof connection is visible, which suggests that this part may be subsequent to the rest of the great workshop: it contains workshops cut off from the others by a partition wall. In 1890, a new workshop with metal structure was built by architect Guérin, on the other side of the rue Losserand. It serves today as a shed. Finally, in 1903, a last workshop called the Ciment, covered with sheds, was built to the west of the courtyard, in the last part newly acquired by the associates, which completed the enclosure of the central courtyard. The manufactory developed with the invention of Jacquard mechanics, adapted to old hand looms, which made it possible to manufacture silk fabrics woven in great width (130 cm). It also diversified production to printed fabrics with plates. The modernization brought about by the adoption of Jacquard mechanics led to a recomposition of the structure of silk weaving factories: this structure moved from a system of family workshops to concentration in large manufactures. This responded to a desire for improvement of production and supervision. It became possible to group together the different types of looms in order to diversify fabric production on demand. The proximity of Tours to Paris made it possible to ensure rapid transport to the capital by diligences, then by railway. Today, the company maintains in stock, publishes or carries out reproductions of woven or printed fabrics. Its archives group together thousands of references made or acquired by the company since its creation, covering a period from the 17th century to 1930. The production tool, classified among the historic monuments, is almost artisanal and still constituted of hand looms. The greatest characteristic presented by the Manufactory of the three Tours is the fact that it has preserved since its creation in situ in 1841 most of the buildings which were built by successive owners. This illuminates the traditional conception of industrial architecture which began by re-occupying already existing ensembles (the building parallel to the quay) before designing a functional and centralized construction project (the great workshop), then, as the need for expansion was felt, ended by adopting modern structure and materials (workshop covered with sheds).