FOUR A CHAUX PIERRES ET FAGOTS

Noting that there was only one lime kiln left in our town and on the Fouras peninsula, our association was created in March 2016 with the aim of safeguarding this small rural heritage from the end of the 19th century century. The profession of chaufournier was rough and the activity was erased with the arrival of cement. The Croix des Bots lime kiln produced up to 25 cubic meters of lime, making it a significant operation. However, in light of the successive operators on the site, everything suggests that this activity was not always profitable.

In order to preserve this witness of the rural, craft and agricultural past, we organize workcamps of volunteers. In parallel with these sites, we organize each year a discovery rally in June, a friendly day, which allows participants to discover or rediscover our department in a fun way.

We will also organize storytelling tours of the Four à Chaux as soon as its structure is consolidated. In order to raise funds, we hold a stand at the flea market of Pentecost in our town and finally sell driftwood trees made by members of our association, at the Christmas market in St Laurent de la Prée.

The lime kiln is made of stones and bricks, its construction required great technicality since from there flowed the quality of production. Indeed, it was necessary to raise the furnace to temperature approaching 1000 ° so that the limestone, by chemical reaction, becomes lime. It is only at the end of 48 hours of heating that the driver could hope to cause this transformation.

Aware of the hard work endured and to honor this profession which has disappeared as it is, our association has a duty to maintain this heritage of yesteryear in order to transmit it to future generations.