Habitation Saint-Etienne HSE Distillery (History)

Set in the typical landscape of northern Martinique, with its exuberant vegetation, the site offers a unique architectural ensemble listed as an ISMH (Order of 16 August 2010). The old distillery and the Creole column are classified as Historic Monuments!nRich in culture, its "remarkable garden" is adorned with sculptures and its shop "Les Foudres" - named after Edouard Glissant - houses a permanent collection of works of art every year.

A little history:
Saint-Etienne was built on the foundations of "La Maugée", a sugar factory whose land extended over 400 hectares from Gros-Morne to Saint-Joseph in the early 19th century. The architectural ensemble, consisting of the mansion, dominating the distillery and the old workers' huts, bears witness to the housing system specific to Martinique.

In 1882, Saint-Etienne was bought by Amédée Aubéry, a young captain of industry who was to become one of the emblematic figures of the Martinique economy. He transformed the sugar factory into an agricultural distillery and began to modernise the infrastructure. He enlarged the factory and gave it a magnificent facade with 28 arched windows to ensure optimal ventilation. Railways were installed on the distillery site: draught animals pulled the wagons that transported the sugar cane. Hydraulic energy is supplied by the river Lézarde thanks to a paved canal which crosses the park.

In 1909, the property passed into the hands of the Simonnet family, who developed the distillery's activity until its decline at the end of the 1980s. The estate was bought in 1994 by Yves and José Hayot, who relaunched the Saint-Etienne brand and undertook the restoration and development of the architectural heritage of the house. The distillery is now listed in the supplementary inventory of historical monuments and is one of the last and most beautiful examples of the mastery and aesthetics of industrial architecture at the end of the 19th century in Martinique.

A visit not to be missed, go on our behalf, leave us a little comment and if you want to know more go to :
The rum route! WE VISITED FOR YOU !

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