Puits Ferré
MonumentHidden Treasure
Puits Ferré, located in Hennebont (Département 56), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Hennebont, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.8058, -3.2775
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091291
In the heart of Hennebont, the Puits Ferré rises up from its 17th-century wrought-iron superstructure, a masterpiece of Baroque ironwork with chiselled scrolls crowned by an elegant finial ball.
History
Nestling in the old town of Hennebont, this little marvel of Breton ironwork is intriguing and seductive, as much for its discretion as for its sophistication. The Puits Ferré is not simply a utilitarian piece of equipment inherited from the Ancien Régime: it is a rare testimony to the art of the blacksmith in an urban port environment, at a time when Breton towns were investing their public spaces with a new decorative ambition. What immediately sets this well apart from its contemporaries is the quality of its wrought iron superstructure, designed with remarkable care. The scrolls supporting the pulleys - which are still in place today, even though they have been replaced by a hydrant - bear witness to an unusually fine craftsmanship for street furniture. The ribs rise in a spindle shape towards the sky before coming together in a slender cluster, crowned by a ball that evokes both the finials of Renaissance balustrades and the symbolic traditions of the well as the axis of the world. To visit the Puits Ferré is to take a brief look at what Breton craftsmen of the 17th century knew how to do with iron. While wood and stone dominate the imagination of our rural heritage, this book is a reminder that artistic metallurgy had also conquered the squares and alleyways of the provinces. The curbstone, covered with a protective slab, tells the story of changing uses: from a living, noisy collective well to a monument frozen in silence, the guardian of a hydraulic memory. Hennebont, a fortified town in the Morbihan region on the banks of the Blavet, is the perfect setting for this discreet monument. Between its well-preserved medieval ramparts and its dense architectural heritage, the town invites you to wander around carefully, where the Puits Ferré reveals itself as a key piece in the inventory of street arts in southern Brittany. Photographers and lovers of unusual heritage will find it a subject of understated elegance, far removed from the crowds and the beaten tourist track.
Architecture
The structure of the Puits Ferré is made up of two distinct parts: the stone coping, covered by a slab that now protects the opening of the disused well, and the metal superstructure that rises above it, the true signature of the structure. This wrought-iron superstructure is organised around vertical uprights decorated with rinceaux - rolled plant motifs characteristic of the decorative vocabulary of the 17th century - which also serve as supports for the pulleys used to hoist the buckets. All the ribs converge at the top to form a tight bundle, an architectural gesture that is as functional as it is aesthetic, crowned by a ridge ball that elegantly punctuates the composition. The choice of wrought iron as the main material for such a superstructure is in itself remarkable. At a time when wood was still the dominant material for the covers and forks of rural wells, opting for workshop-worked metal reveals a desire for durability and prestige. The style is typical of French provincial baroque ironwork: the rigour of the load-bearing structure combined with the ornamental freedom of the scrolls, the dialogue between straight lines and vegetal curves. The proportions of the whole, measured and without excessive ostentation, are in keeping with the scale of a Breton village street of the Grand Siècle.
Related Figures
Maître forgeron local (XVIIe siècle) — artisan anonyme auteur probable de la superstructure en fer forgéAutorités municipales d'Hennebont (XVIIe siècle) — commanditaires de l'ouvrage dans le cadre de l'équipement hydraulique urbainInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (1928) — responsables de la reconnaissance patrimoniale et de l'inscription protectriceJeanne de Flandre (XIVe siècle) — figure emblématique d'Hennebont, dont le souvenir imprègne toute la mémoire historique de la ville
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Puits Ferré located?
Puits Ferré is located in Hennebont, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Puits Ferré built?
Puits Ferré dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Puits Ferré open to visitors?
Puits Ferré is currently closed to visitors.