From 1850 onwards, the first factories were set up in the town itself. If you look down this street, you'll see one of the signs of this industrialisation.
This factory was one of the first to use the hand-operated drop hammer for stamping. The brick chimney was used to evacuate the fumes from the forging units. As was often the case, the contractor's accommodation was located close to the production unit. Today, the forge still makes prints of surgical instruments and tailor's scissors.
The 19th century marked a veritable revolution for the Nogent basin. The motive power generated by man or the trotting of a dog was replaced by other sources of energy, notably water power and steam. From the craftsman's shop, we moved on to production units employing from 10 to several hundred people. The organisation of work evolved with mechanisation and the specialisation of workers. Whereas it used to take many years to train an apprentice, now it takes just one to train a fitter, a polisher or a filer. We are moving from the craftsman to the salaried skilled worker. Companies specialised their production and Nogent entered the industrial era.
La rue du Royer et l'industrialisation
