Cimenterie de la Chèvre

THE ABANDONED CEMENT PLANT IN FRANCE

This ‘Cimenterie de la Chèvre’ dates back to 1928 when it was built by industrialist Ernest Cambier. Eventually it was sold to competitive cement factories in 1967 and 1972.

Inside the factory, the limestone that was mined from the quarries close by, was mixed with clay and had to be finely ground and mixed with water. Then the product was stirred before being heated in a rotary oven. The product was then finely ground again. Local residents remember mostly the white dust that fell everywhere.

In 1972 Vicat took over the company from Cambier. Vicat is a French family business founded in 1817 by Louis Vicat, inventor of artificial cement. André Merceron-Vicat implements a program of modernization and capacity increases for Vicat cement plants as a result of concentration of the French cement industry. Because the Pont-à-Vendin plant was not enough profitable, this cement plant was closed in the 1980s. Two hundred people worked at the plant at the time it was closed. The Vicat company is still active today, they now employ 8 thousand people and generate a profit of 2.5 billion euros.

These photos of ‘Cimenterie de la Chèvre’ were taken in 2017. Also check these reports of cement plants in Spain and Italy.

Built 1928
Abandoned 1984
Endangered
Don`t copy text!