Ancienne tuilerie du Vieux-Bourg

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

The kiln of the Vieux-bourg tile works is the last vestige of the numerous tile works in operation since the 18th century located on the levée of the Loire at Saint-Pryvé-Saint-Mesmin. Neither the exact date of commissioning nor the origin of this kiln is known. There were at least two dozen of them at the end of the last century at Saint-Pryvé due to the quality of the clay, which was conducive to brick manufacturing. They were all situated along the levée of the Loire. Situated below the levée of the Loire, on the town side, only the Vieux-Bourg tile works continued its activities at the beginning of the century, until around 1916 (the drying sheds were requisitioned to shelter the wounded). The seven drying halls have been demolished and the clay preparation workshop threatens to collapse. The kiln, heavily cracked, has retained its pyramidal chimney with five successive inset setbacks. The kiln was private property at the time of its registration as a historic monument but has since been repurchased by the Town. Furthermore, the latter fully restored it in 2012.