Ancienne malterie et ancienne brasserie Motte-Cordonnier
Monument
Ancienne malterie et ancienne brasserie Motte-Cordonnier, located in Armentières (Nord), is a modern edifice built in the 19th-20th centuries. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Modern (19th-20th century)
- Location
- Armentières, Nord, Hauts-de-France
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 50.6879, 2.8588
- Mérimée Reference
- PA59000050
An industrial gem of the North, the Motte-Cordonnier brewery stands with its bell tower of brick and slag in the heart of Armentières — a century of brewing history set in stone and red copper.
History
In the heart of Armentières, a town scarred by the Great War yet quick to recover, the Motte-Cordonnier malting plant and brewery stands out as one of the most striking examples of industrial heritage in the Lille metropolitan area. Opened in 1923, this eight-hectare complex combines the Flemish heritage of belfries with the functional rigour of early 20th-century industrial architecture, forming a whole of rare aesthetic coherence within the French brewing landscape. What makes this site truly unique is the almost educational clarity of its spatial layout: each building illustrates a stage in the brewing process, from the barley storehouses supplied by barges to the imposing 400- and 260-hectolitre red copper boilers, still in place in the brewhouse. These monumental vats, listed as historic monuments, constitute a collection of intact industrial equipment of exceptional heritage value. A tour of the complex reveals a skilfully composed architecture: the main body, clad in local brick enhanced with slag inlays — the glassy waste from blast furnaces — creates an alternating pattern of great chromatic sophistication. The central stair tower, slender and rectangular, deliberately evokes the image of the belfries that dot the Flanders skyline, anchoring this factory in its cultural as well as geographical territory. For visitors curious about industrial architecture or social history, the site offers a glimpse into the world of working-class life in the North, from the interwar period through to the Trente Glorieuses. The setting, typical of the Flemish industrial heartland with its red bricks and shed roofs, possesses a unique atmosphere, halfway between poetic ruin and living heritage, as the site continues to house logistics operations.
Architecture
Designed by the architect Marcel Forest in the early 1920s, the Motte-Cordonnier complex is a striking example of the regionalist industrial architecture of northern France, which draws on Flemish design elements to address the functional constraints of industrial production. The main building is distinguished by its cladding of local red brick, enhanced by alternating bands of slag—a vitreous material derived from steelworks blast furnaces—creating effects of colour and texture that are unexpectedly sophisticated for a production facility. This decorative technique, common in the industrial Flanders of the interwar period, demonstrates an intelligent economy of means: waste from the neighbouring heavy industry became ornamentation. The most expressive element of the composition remains the central stair tower, with a rectangular plan and a deliberately vertical elevation, whose proportions and formal treatment explicitly evoke the belfries that dot the squares of Flanders and Artois — civic symbols of prosperity and municipal independence. This deliberate reference to the region’s historical architecture anchors the factory in a proudly Flemish cultural identity, transforming a simple technical structure into a symbol of regional belonging. Inside, the spatial layout follows the flow of the brewing process: the storage lofts occupy the upper levels, the milling room is situated on an intermediate floor, whilst the brewing and fermentation rooms extend across the ground floor. The two red copper kettles — one with a capacity of 400 hectolitres, the other 260 — are the centrepieces of the movable heritage, protected in the same way as the building itself. The entire industrial site covers eight hectares, including ancillary buildings dedicated to the various stages of production and storage.
Related Figures
Marcel Forest — architecte spécialisé dans les édifices industriels, concepteur du bâtiment principal inauguré en 1923Famille Motte — grande dynastie industrielle du Nord, fondatrice et propriétaire de la brasserieFamille Cordonnier — associée aux Motte dans la direction de l'entreprise brassicole armentiéroiseBrasseurs et malteurs ouvriers d'Armentières — artisans anonymes du savoir-faire brassicole flamand perpétué jusqu'en 1993
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancienne malterie et ancienne brasserie Motte-Cordonnier located?
Ancienne malterie et ancienne brasserie Motte-Cordonnier is located in Armentières, Nord department, Hauts-de-France region, France.
When was Ancienne malterie et ancienne brasserie Motte-Cordonnier built?
Ancienne malterie et ancienne brasserie Motte-Cordonnier dates back to a period built in the modern era (19th-20th century).
Is Ancienne malterie et ancienne brasserie Motte-Cordonnier open to visitors?
Ancienne malterie et ancienne brasserie Motte-Cordonnier is currently closed to visitors.