Fosse n° 9 dite de l'Escarpelle
Monument
Fosse n° 9 dite de l'Escarpelle, located in Roost-Warendin (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
- Roost-Warendin, Nord, Hauts-de-France
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 50.4116, 3.1033
- Mérimée Reference
- PA59000152
A strikingly powerful industrial vestige, pit no. 9 at l'Escarpelle epitomises a century of coal mining in the Nord region. Its headframe, witness to continuous modernisation until 1990, stands like a cathedral of the industrial era.
History
In the heart of Roost-Warendin, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region that used to be known as the "black country", pit no. 9 at l'Escarpelle is one of the most poignant reminders of French mining civilisation. Listed as a Historic Monument in 2009, it is part of the exceptional heritage of the Northern France coalfield recognised by UNESCO in 2012 - an evolving cultural landscape shaped by decades of underground labour. What makes pit no. 9 unique is its longevity and adaptability. Starting life as a simple ventilation shaft in 1909, it evolved continuously over eight decades to become a fully-fledged extraction centre, even absorbing the activity of neighbouring pit no. 10 from 1973 onwards. This capacity for constant change, reflected in the succession of equipment and structures, makes it a veritable industrial palimpsest. A visit to pit no. 9 immerses visitors in the special atmosphere of the "black faces". The headframe that dominates the site - the third to have occupied this position since its origins - bears witness to the accelerated modernisation of the 1970s, when Charbonnages de France engineers sought to extend the life of the deposit at depth. Around it, the revenue buildings, machine rooms and service infrastructures sketch out the precise geography of a twentieth-century coal mining operation. The setting of Roost-Warendin, a working-class community in the Lille metropolitan area, offers a contrast that is typical of the coalfield: slag heaps recomposing the flat relief of the Flemish plain, corons lined up nearby, and this pit that is now silent but preserved. For photographers, industrial history buffs and curious walkers, the site is a must-see on the Route des fosses du Douaisis.
Architecture
Pit No. 9 at l'Escarpelle illustrates the functional industrial architecture of the early 20th century, typical of coal mining in northern France. The surface buildings, built mainly of red brick - the region's most abundant and economical material - combine simple, robust volumes dictated by operational constraints: the engine room, recipe building, lamp room, offices and service infrastructure form a coherent whole around the central shaft. The most spectacular feature remains the headframe, an imposing metal structure that has marked the shaft since the 1975-1977 modernisation. This third headframe, designed to meet the new extraction requirements at a depth of 570 metres, adopts the typical shape of the wheel-type metal headframes of the 1970s: a bolted steel gantry of slender proportions, as reminiscent of a bridge as of a shipyard gantry. Its silhouette dominates the flat landscape of the Douais plain for several kilometres around. The extraction machine, housed in the dedicated room, represents the technical evolution of the site: electric since 1956 and modernised twice, it bears witness to the successive cycles of technological updating that have punctuated the life of the pit. Although the architectural ensemble is austere, it possesses the dignity that is typical of industrial heritage: that of a working tool built to last, designed for efficiency, and finally elevated to the rank of collective memory.
Related Figures
Ingénieurs des Charbonnages de France (direction de l'exploitation, 1950-1990)Directeurs de la Compagnie des mines de l'Escarpelle (fondateurs et gestionnaires, 1909-1946)Mineurs et porions de la fosse n° 9 (bâtisseurs de la mémoire ouvrière, 1923-1990)Inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (instructeurs du dossier de protection, 2009)
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Fosse n° 9 dite de l'Escarpelle located?
Fosse n° 9 dite de l'Escarpelle is located in Roost-Warendin, Nord department, Hauts-de-France region, France.
When was Fosse n° 9 dite de l'Escarpelle built?
Fosse n° 9 dite de l'Escarpelle dates back to a period built in the modern era (19th-20th century).
Is Fosse n° 9 dite de l'Escarpelle open to visitors?
Fosse n° 9 dite de l'Escarpelle is currently closed to visitors.