Restored rope factory finds its original splendor

By Pierre Albert Lambert

ROCHEFORT-SUR-MER, France: From a distance, one has the impression that it is a fallen skyscraper lying in the grass. In fact, it is the royal rope factory of Rochefort in the Saintonge region, in the west of France, a superb, rare specimen of industrial architecture before the Revolution.

This building, which is unique in its proportions and beauty, was saved from demolition and has once again found its original splendor. It now houses the Coastal Conservatory, the International League for the Protection of Birds and, above all, the International Sea Center. Exhibitions and international gatherings follow one after another. Countless adventures of the sea are told there, including a prestigious chapter in the French Navy, the history of the rope factory itself.

The factory was built on order from King Louis XIV, who told his minister, Colbert, "I want the finest and biggest building in the world for the manufacture of ropes for my ships".

In 1664, the Sun King, who was master of part of Europe, also had the intention of reigning over the seas. So, he had the largest arsenal town on the continent built. The chosen site was the village of Rochefort, nestled in the mouth of the Charente River, 15 miles from the sea. It was an ideal shelter. Without risk, one could build, fit out and maintain the powerful vessels intended for conquest and for the protection of merchant ships.

"To build quick, beautiful and big." Those were the instructions given to the architects and engineers. Two thousand masons, carpenters and ironsmiths were brought to the site and soon a huge arsenal lined up its workshops, powder stores and dry docks.

The masterpiece of the plan was the rope factory itself, a unique building 374 meters long, which the king wanted to be grandiose. Building it on the spongy soil of the Charente marshes presented a challenge. Architect Francois Blondel, in charge of the work, overcame the problem thanks to a brilliant technique which is quoted as an example in treatises: the building rests on a foundation raft made of 14,000 cubic meters of oak beams. These foundations alone cost more than the building.

The rope factory consisted of a floor beneath a mansard roof. One of the facades is supported by scroll buttresses which brings nobleness, elegance and harmony to its proportions. The building, which has an industrial and functional purpose, is a masterpiece of classical architecture.

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Its length equals that required to manufacture ropes 200 meters long, which was the standard length for navy ropes at the time. Fitting out a single ship required 30 kilometers of rope, some of which was 60 centimeters in diameter.

The factory, which was inaugurated in 1670, provided the royal navy and the American colonies with the best rope in Europe for over two centuries.

The great Encyclopedia by Diderot and d'Alembert gives an idea of the bustle at the time the rope factory was in use. Under the authority of master rope-makers and master tar-spreaders, about a hundred workers were involved in the "art of rope-making". Some of them spun the hemp sent in bales from Auvergne while others, with the help of rudimentary tools, twisted the threads until they became cables.

The appearance of the steam engine in 1850 meant the end of the essentially manual task of rope making. At the beginning of the 20th century the Rochefort rope factory fell into disuse and latter served as a workshop, a warehouse and a school for naval apprentices. It nearly became a ruin when the Germans set fire to it during their retreat in 1944. In the 1960's, the factory site, which was devastated and forgotten, disappeared beneath an inextricable tangle of brambles. A property developer considered building houses there, using the old stones and there was also talk of razing everything to make room for a motorway.

In 1964, however, the new maritime prefect, Admiral Maurice Dupont, was impressed by the size of these venerable ruins and attempted to free them from the overgrowth. As a labor force, he enlisted 3,000 sailors who devoted their hours previously used for group sports to this tremendous task. Their efforts were rewarded by one of the prizes in the "Masterpieces in danger" competition. In 1967, the royal rope factory was listed as a historical monument. It is one of the most spectacular restoration projects ever undertaken in France and took 13 years to complete.

Today, people from all over the world come to Rochefort to admire this jewel of architecture which is once more as the Sun King dreamt it.

-- AFI