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VILLENEUVETTE
FACTORY "ROYALE"
A
fortified town and a community which, for more than two centuries,
was one of the most prosperous textile manufacturers in France.
You
will find Villeneuvette 3 km South-West of Clermont l'Hérault.
It was built in 1670 on the private initiative of Pierre Baille,
a local tradesman. In 1677, King Louis XIV (the Sun King) the
factory became royal property and received financial support from
Colbert, the King's Minister, in exchange for very strict guarantees
for the quality of the cloth which was destined for export to
compete with the British and Dutch merchant companies, mostly
in the Far East.
In
1725 it was sold to Castanié d'Auriac who, with his brothers
a merchant in Marseille and a director of the India company, makes
the factory a hugely successful enterprise employing over 800
workers, 300 of which live in Villeneuvette. With exports of 120
bales of cloth a year, Villeneuvette grew with new buildings,
47 homes for the weavers, 4 fullers, a dye-works and several shops.
Work
was done at home. The weaving loom was located on the street level
and the family lived on the first floor. Work was always assured
to those who lived at the factory. Manpower also came from neighboring
villages. Rent-free small gardens were made available to each
family. Public services were available including doctors and firemen.
The children started working at the age of twelve after having
limited schooling at the paid school. Children and adults also
had evening classes. All activities of the town were run strictly
to the rule and every evening the gates of the town were closed
for the night.
However,
with frequent changes of owners and The French Revolution, the
factory slowly declined and by the beginning of the 19th century
the business was ruined.
In
1821 the factory became public property and was no longer famous
for fashionable exported materials, making "London cloth", which
was used for military uniforms, religious orders, schools and
the decorating of train compartments. From 1810, the mechanization
of the textile production, which until then had all been by hand
dramatically increased production which peaked in time of war.
However,
the aging of the machinery and competition from factories in the
North and East of France steadily made Villeneuvette uncompetitive
and in 1943, Villeneuvette ceased production.
The
factory closed 1954 and the population left the town of Villeneuvette
which began to fall into ruin.
In
1968, the owner of the land, Mr. Camille Maistre, decided to create
a joint ownership venture in order to allow the sale of certain
parts of the town to private individuals. This began the restoration
of the buildings, which by then had seriously decayed.
The
municipality started the installation of a modern sewage system,
electricity, repaving of the roads and repairing the Louis XIV
Plaza.
The
big buildings that formerly housed spinning mills could not be
restored privately due to their size. It was therefore urgent
that a restoration and rehabilitation program should be taken
up both by the municipality and with aid of public or semi-public
organizations.
Today
you can see the results of these initiatives. The very special
situation of classic architecture, a wonderful climate and an
area unspoilt by modern excesses is encouraging new residents
to move into the old weavers houses and to love and care for this
"magical" town.
When
you stay in the hotel or eat in the restaurant
at "La Source" you will be part of the experience of Villeneuvette
coming back to life.
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