It is 13:55 at the Forges des Salles. The first visitors wait behind the gate. Arrives Gisèle (in charge of reception), keys in hand. The barrier opens and with it the assurance of a journey through time to come … The old steel village is a preserved site and a unique witness to the history of metallurgy in Brittany and the working life of the 18th century. and nineteenth centuries.
A bilingual guide
A story that Georgia Sutherland, one of the village guides, knows like the back of her hand. While waiting for her first group, she welcomes holidaymakers with a smile. “If you’re interested, the guided tour will start in 15 minutes and by then you can visit that part on the left which is the museum. I’ll pick you up later, ”she explains to them with a slight English accent.
Georgia Sutherland is of English descent and came to France at the age of 5. She is perfectly bilingual. A definite advantage when it comes to shedding light on the cousins from across the Channel on the Breton steel industry. Summer guide and physiotherapy student the rest of the year in Rennes. “It has nothing to do with the Forges,” she smiles. It was through her sister, Bridie, a guide until 2019 that she got to know the site. “It tempted me and I sent my CV to replace her,” she slips. She has no regrets: “For a summer job, I’m lucky because I could be at the factory. Here, I have great freedom and the contact with visitors is interesting, ”she continues.
A 1 hour 15 minute tour of the village
2:40 p.m., it’s time to go. The guide equips himself: a visor for sanitary protection and an umbrella to protect himself from the showers but also from the sun when he is generous.
And off we go for a 1 hour 15 minute visit with a small group. “With the covid, I do most of my speech outside the buildings except in the blast furnace and the chapel where it is quite large and airy,” she says.
First stop in front of the row of blacksmiths, an alignment of twelve identical shale housing. Georgia Sutherland begins her survey on the history of the village, its particular functioning. At the time, it was ahead of its time offering, for example, the possibility for girls to go to school.
1,620 tons of cast iron in 1842
Storage hall, blast furnace, control room, bread oven, canteen, chapel, school … each stop is an opportunity to discuss working life, the role of the forge master, the activity of the site … In 1842, the forges produce 1,620 tonnes of cast iron from 4,860 tonnes of ore, 2,430 tonnes of charcoal and 890 tonnes of limestone. A real small industry that lasted until 1877. The blast furnace was finally dismantled in 1914 and the bricks sold…
The visit ends in its protective building. Georgia Sutherland won over her audience, delighted with the trip. “Don’t forget the guide! “
Convenient
Website: www.lesforgesdessalles.fr.
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