Saint-Laurent de la Plaine...
With about 1700 inhabitants, Saint-Laurent de la Plaine is today a delegated commune of the new commune of Mauges-sur-Loire. Among other things, it has a curious theatre, the "Théâtre des Rêveries", which has the rare feature of having a revolving stage allowing the installation of three different sets. And then, it houses the Museum of Crafts and Trades...
The Museum of Crafts and Trades, a little history...
In the villages and small towns, stories circulate and embellish each other, and it is no longer clear what is true and what is made up.
In this case, there is some truth, since the protagonists have indeed existed. It is about Victor Perrault, the carpenter, who, one evening, on his way home, meets Abel Delaunay, the blacksmith. In his wheelbarrow, Delaunay had collected a number of old tools that he no longer used, having modernized his workshop.
This is the famous wheelbarrow from the title of the article, and whose picture you can see. It has been preserved as a historical object! Indeed, from this discussion came out the idea of preserving the old tools to pass on their heritage to future generations.
So we present the whole thing, first of all, in the attic of the town hall! And then, in the theatre! And then, in the presbytery! And then, it's a great success!
And so, donors came forward. And now the premises are really getting too small!
A first extension is built by Victor Perrault, who relies on the know-how of his carpentry company. Behind him, an architect from the Maine-et-Loire and Monuments Historiques department gets involved both in the design of the buildings and in obtaining funds from the Maine-et-Loire General Council .
In short, in 1984, the barn and the fashion house were built in the style of the eighteenth century with real local materials, slate, tuffeau, oak frames, terracotta floors... and here we are at 2700 m², and twelve rooms!
1987, it is a street, the Rue Pavée, which appears... twenty rooms and 4500 m²!
2001, we end up in the reception building! We are at 5000 m², and an incredible collection of 40,000 objects, representing thirty-five trades!
Hence the impossibility in which I find myself...
Mission impossible...
For once, I give up !¨
To describe precisely all that you will see on the spot, given the diversity and richness of the places, seems to me an impossible mission, unless I inflict a huge text on you! Because simply naming the whole thing "Museum of Crafts and Trades" does not allow you to imagine everything that is behind it...
Judge for yourself... after the reception hall, there is the old presbytery, the fashion house, the famous cobbled street with its old shops lining it on both sides, as lively as if the craftsman had just been away for a while, then the lifting gear room, the press and stills room, the attic, the barn...
This simple enumeration, and the photos, I hope, will show you that these particularly unusual, endearing, interesting places are really worth the visit... provided you plan a day!
Musée des Métiers
Place de l'Eglise
Saint-Laurent-de-la-Plaine
49290 Mauges-sur-Loire
Tél. : 02 41 78 24 08
contact@musee-metiers.fr
https://www.musee-metiers.fr/
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