L’école et la salle des fêtes de la cité de Solitude

English translation

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History

This school illustrates the facilities accompanying mining activity, which permanently transformed the landscape of the Douaisis from the end of the 18th century onwards. In addition to technical production installations and transport infrastructure, these include housing and collective facilities. This school is part of the social facilities intended for workers housed in the mining towns. It is representative of the achievements of the Compagnie des mines d'Aniche, which stands out from other companies through particularly refined architecture. It is characterised by the use of silico-calcareous brick combined with red brick, a picturesque regionalist style, and the application of hygienist principles. Although it follows a relatively classical model for school architecture (two wings corresponding to boys' and girls' classes, each having a playground and dedicated courtyard), it has the particular feature of a perpendicular wing housing a sports hall and an event hall, which complements the collective facilities of the town. The school thus illustrates the paternalistic policy of the companies where all aspects of employees' lives are provided for within the mining towns. Built ex-nihilo by the companies, these constitute very homogeneous ensembles both in their housing and in their facilities.