Who founded Forge de Verrières ?

Established around 1595, it was completely rebuilt in 1661 for the Duke of Mortemart. The noble family retained ownership until the Revolution, after which the ironmasters Robert de Beauchamps became owners through its sale as national property.

What was manufactured at Verrières ?

For more than two centuries, the site produced iron and cast iron, sold throughout the region. The installation included three forge fires, two refineries, a blast furnace, and charcoal storage halls.

Why did production cease ?

Metallurgical activity stopped in 1886. The site briefly transitioned to a distillery from 1901 to 1910, also housing a hydroelectric plant, before becoming a simple agricultural building.

Forge de Verrières

Lhommaizé

Access

No visits on recordNo opening hours or ticketing found

Where: Lhommaizé

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

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Forge de Verrières stands in Lhommaizé (Vienne), in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. The building is listed as a historic monument (dating recorded in the Mérimée database: 17th century, third quarter of the 18th century). The building is privately owned and no visits are on record.

Forge de Verrières is an industrial site in Poitou founded around 1595 and rebuilt in 1661 for the Duke of Mortemart in the Dive valley. The master ironmaster's château, built between 1764 and 1768, survives with its outbuildings and pavilions, bearing witness to the significance of this metallurgical operation that transformed the regional landscape. Listed as a historical monument, it preserves remnants of an enterprise that produced iron and cast iron until 1886.

What to know

The site extends around a twenty-hectare pond developed in the seventeenth century in the Dive valley.
The château with its two pavilions, outbuildings and dovecote, along with remnants of the old industrial complex, are protected as historical monuments.
The operation functioned in different forms: forge until 1886, then distillery until 1910, before becoming agricultural buildings.
A hydroelectric plant built in 1901 marked the transition between metallurgical industry and local energy supply.

Where this château is

Lhommaizé · Vienne · Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Map of the area around Forge de Verrières

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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

86410 Lhommaizé

Directions open from wherever you are, by car or public transport.

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Heritage status: Listed historic monument (classé); Mérimée record PA00105493
Period of construction: 17th century, third quarter of the 18th century

Frequently asked

Who founded Forge de Verrières ?: Established around 1595, it was completely rebuilt in 1661 for the Duke of Mortemart. The noble family retained ownership until the Revolution, after which the ironmasters Robert de Beauchamps became owners through its sale as national property.
What was manufactured at Verrières ?: For more than two centuries, the site produced iron and cast iron, sold throughout the region. The installation included three forge fires, two refineries, a blast furnace, and charcoal storage halls.
Why did production cease ?: Metallurgical activity stopped in 1886. The site briefly transitioned to a distillery from 1901 to 1910, also housing a hydroelectric plant, before becoming a simple agricultural building.