Site de la Ferme Ecole
What is a farm school?
This type of establishment was created in 1830 to teach advances in agriculture. The curriculum included cultivation and breeding techniques, accountancy, management, veterinary medicine, not forgetting French and mathematics, all taught within the framework of a strict discipline in which religious obligations figured prominently. The establishment was run by an owner who earned his income from it, and was therefore run by trainee students under the guidance of teachers who undertook to train and educate in exchange for a state subsidy. At the end of their 3-year schooling, the best pupils were highly coveted by wealthy landowners who wanted to entrust them with the management of their many model farms, which were in vogue at the time.
From farm school to dairy and cheese factory
Once a deserted place, covered in marshland, the site only came to life in 1849 when a young landowner, Mr Deloze, bought the land to develop it and build a school farm. Over the next 25 years, hundreds of young people were trained in agriculture. After a few years as a juvenile school, the site was bought by Mr Maitre in 1903. A new lease of life for the site, which became a dairy, butter and cheese factory. This local industry gradually expanded. They exported their goods to several European countries. But the war took its toll and put an end to this prosperous period. With fewer outlets and more competition, the factory closed in 1973, leaving the buildings and land as an industrial wasteland. It took all the determination of the local council to bring the site back to life in 1990. The original farm school was reborn. A contract was signed with the Formation Compagnonnique des Métiers du Bâtiment, which, in exchange for free use of the premises, undertook to renovate the site with the help of the trainees it trained on site.
The chapel
From 1849 to 1958, to attend religious services, pupils had to go to the church in Drefféac or Saint-Gildas-des-Bois. Mr Deloze built a chapel on the grounds of the school farm to spare his pupils the long walks, which were very difficult in winter. But when the site was sold to build a butter and dairy factory, the chapel became a straw barn for the pigs that were reared around it. The chapel soon became a ruin, overgrown with weeds and brambles. Aware of the site's rich heritage, the local council decided to restore the site and trainees from the farm school helped to renovate the chapel with the help of stonemasons. The chapel has now been restored to its former glory, with the 8-metre spire finally being raised in 2009.
This type of establishment was created in 1830 to teach advances in agriculture. The curriculum included cultivation and breeding techniques, accountancy, management, veterinary medicine, not forgetting French and mathematics, all taught within the framework of a strict discipline in which religious obligations figured prominently. The establishment was run by an owner who earned his income from it, and was therefore run by trainee students under the guidance of teachers who undertook to train and educate in exchange for a state subsidy. At the end of their 3-year schooling, the best pupils were highly coveted by wealthy landowners who wanted to entrust them with the management of their many model farms, which were in vogue at the time.
From farm school to dairy and cheese factory
Once a deserted place, covered in marshland, the site only came to life in 1849 when a young landowner, Mr Deloze, bought the land to develop it and build a school farm. Over the next 25 years, hundreds of young people were trained in agriculture. After a few years as a juvenile school, the site was bought by Mr Maitre in 1903. A new lease of life for the site, which became a dairy, butter and cheese factory. This local industry gradually expanded. They exported their goods to several European countries. But the war took its toll and put an end to this prosperous period. With fewer outlets and more competition, the factory closed in 1973, leaving the buildings and land as an industrial wasteland. It took all the determination of the local council to bring the site back to life in 1990. The original farm school was reborn. A contract was signed with the Formation Compagnonnique des Métiers du Bâtiment, which, in exchange for free use of the premises, undertook to renovate the site with the help of the trainees it trained on site.
The chapel
From 1849 to 1958, to attend religious services, pupils had to go to the church in Drefféac or Saint-Gildas-des-Bois. Mr Deloze built a chapel on the grounds of the school farm to spare his pupils the long walks, which were very difficult in winter. But when the site was sold to build a butter and dairy factory, the chapel became a straw barn for the pigs that were reared around it. The chapel soon became a ruin, overgrown with weeds and brambles. Aware of the site's rich heritage, the local council decided to restore the site and trainees from the farm school helped to renovate the chapel with the help of stonemasons. The chapel has now been restored to its former glory, with the 8-metre spire finally being raised in 2009.
Contact
La Ferme Ecole
44530 SAINT-GILDAS-DES-BOIS
FRANCE
44530 SAINT-GILDAS-DES-BOIS
FRANCE
Practical information
Site theme
Church
