Gare ferroviaire de Brélidy-Plouëc
MonumentHidden Treasure
Gare ferroviaire de Brélidy-Plouëc, located in Plouëc-du-Trieux (Département 22), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Plouëc-du-Trieux, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.6691, -3.1965
- Mérimée Reference
- PA22000055
Nestling in the valleys of the Trieux, this 19th-century Breton railway station, listed as a Historic Monument, epitomises the golden age of the rural railway, with its vernacular granite architecture and preserved quay.
History
In the heart of the Côtes-d'Armor region, between the meandering Trieux river and the hedged farmland of the Trégor, Brélidy-Plouëc station is one of the most intact examples of Brittany's secondary railway network. Listed as a Historic Monument in 2018, this modest country halt is fascinating for the coherence of its architectural ensemble and the quality of its conservation, which is extremely rare for a building of this category. Unlike the large, prestigious stations, the one at Brélidy-Plouëc embodies local railway architecture, designed to blend harmoniously into the local landscape. Its blue-grey granite walls, characteristic of the Armorican quarries, blend naturally with the surrounding moors and forests. There's no ostentation here: functionality dictates form, and it's precisely this sobriety that appeals to the discerning visitor. The visitor experience is that of a journey back in time. The platform, the ancillary buildings and the immediate surroundings retain a striking atmosphere of the era when the trains of the Breton network company served the most remote villages, linking farmers, merchants and travellers to industrial modernity. The layout of the buildings still reveals the logic of an era when every detail - the goods shed, the stationmaster's house, the raised platform - served a specific purpose. The natural setting enhances the charm of the place. Plouëc-du-Trieux is part of the deep-lying Trégor region, a land of granite and steep-sided rivers, where the Atlantic light filters through the oak and gorse trees. The station, set away from the market town of Brélidy, offers a haven of calm and authenticity that lovers of industrial and railway heritage will appreciate.
Architecture
The architecture of Brélidy-Plouëc station is in keeping with the tradition of Breton secondary railway buildings of the late 19th century, characterised by economy of means at the service of unfailing solidity. The walls are built from granite quarried locally in the Côtes-d'Armor region, in the neat, coursed rubble pattern typical of rural buildings in the Trégor region. The cut granite window and door surrounds bear witness to the attention paid to detail despite the modest scale of the project. The roof, in natural slate from Anjou or Brittany depending on the supplies available at the time, has the slopes typical of regional railway buildings, with marked overhangs designed to protect passengers from the frequent rainfall of the Armorican coast. The layout of the passenger building follows the classic layout of second-tier stations: a waiting room, a ticket office, a stationmaster's office, all arranged in a simple rectangular volume, to which may be added a lean-to or side extension goods shed. The station also includes a masonry platform, a fundamental element of the railway layout, as well as outbuildings that complete the original functional programme. The coherence of the whole, its position in the Breton landscape and the integrity of its materials are precisely the qualities that motivated its inclusion on the list of Historic Monuments, making this station a valuable milestone in understanding the history of rural railways in Brittany.
Related Figures
Ingénieurs des Ponts et Chaussées du département des Côtes-du-Nord (concepteurs du tracé de la ligne)Directeurs de la Compagnie des chemins de fer des Côtes-du-Nord (exploitants historiques)Chefs de gare successifs de Brélidy-Plouëc (gardiens du lieu sur plusieurs générations)Édiles de Plouëc-du-Trieux et Brélidy ayant soutenu la création de la ligne au XIXe siècleInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit le dossier d'inscription en 2018
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Gare ferroviaire de Brélidy-Plouëc located?
Gare ferroviaire de Brélidy-Plouëc is located in Plouëc-du-Trieux, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Gare ferroviaire de Brélidy-Plouëc built?
Gare ferroviaire de Brélidy-Plouëc dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Gare ferroviaire de Brélidy-Plouëc open to visitors?
Gare ferroviaire de Brélidy-Plouëc is currently closed to visitors.
