Lecture by Marine Bourgault, architecture and heritage historian "The birth of the cement industry in Le Boulonnais"
A local innovation serving the great architectural achievements of the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
This conference presents the results of the CASSIS project. This study project launched in 2019 aims to know the technical characteristics of cements manufactured in the Boulonnais during the nineteenth century. The objective is to understand these ancient cements in order to propose adapted restoration protocols of buildings built with this revolutionary material.
More broadly, these researches conducted jointly with the Laboratory of Research of Historical Monuments, as well as the IMT-Lille-Douai, allowed to deepen our knowledge on the industrial history of Boulonnais. So we were able to highlight the fact that Boulogne-sur-Mer can be considered a major cradle of cement manufacturing in France. These cements will enjoy national and international renown. They will be used for the foundations of the Eiffel Tower, for the construction of the Suez Canal or for the Haussmann works.
My speech will therefore present the historical part of the CASSIS project, by presenting the genesis of this new industry, its expansion, and its impact on the modernization of France at the end of the nineteenth century.
Come and discover the golden age of Boulonnais cement plants."