Carronnière de Mollardoury

Initially located at the place called Mollardoury, this carronnière was transferred in 1988 to its current location, near the old hospital, on the initiative of Bâtiments de France. It was called "la tuilerie".
The carrons of Saint-Trivier were 28 to 29 cm long, 11 to 12 cm wide and 7 to 9 cm thick.
The kilns were still in good condition in 1972, but collapsed around 1980. The design technique of these kilns brought a very clear improvement in heating. In the restored part, the shed, bricks or tiles were stored on racks to dry before firing.
The "carron" is a particular type of brick, much thicker and more massive than the traditional brick: 25 to 32 cm long, 11 to 14 cm wide and 6.5 to 11.5 cm thick. Known as "carron" for centuries, this material has been favoured in local construction, both for its resistance to impact and frost, but also for its ease of manufacture and rapid implementation. It is present in the foundations of rural dwellings but above all in fortified architecture.
The carronnières all have the same appearance: very low, with pillars as walls, a roof that goes down almost to the ground with an impressive framework and an oven! Installed on the very site of extraction, the carronnières were designed to be wandering, placed on the ground, without foundations. The work took place in several stages depending on the number of tiles or bricks to be made: first the earth had to be collected and left to dry. With the help of a horse or an ox harnessed to a large wheel, the clods were crushed. Then came :
- wetting to obtain a supple paste that was fitted into brick moulds or tile forms
- drying in the carronnière shed. This operation took several weeks
- filling the kiln and firing, which could also take many days, including cooling
The evolution of construction techniques has led to the disappearance of the carronnières. There are many places called "la carronnière" or "les carronnes" which bear witness to this not so distant past.