Medieval fortress ruins with three stone towersView of the ruins of a medieval fortress with three stone towers. The towers are partially collapsed and surrounded by a green lawn. The sky is blue with a few clouds. The entrances to the towers are visible, but there is no readable text.
©The ruins of this medieval fortress stand proudly in a lush green landscape.
All you need to know

The Rey lime kilns

Regnéville-sur-Mer
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Explore the history of the Fours à Chaux du Rey: Ancestral know-how

In the heart of Normandy, in the commune of Regnéville-sur-Mer, stand the Rey lime kilns, witnesses to a rich industrial past.

Find out more about the captivating history of the Rey lime kilns in our article!

Presentation

The Rey lime kilns were built one after the other between 1851 and 1854. These four kilns complexes were designed to produce lime for the improvement of farmland in western Armorica. They are installed in a former stone quarry at Regnéville-sur-Mer, not far from the coast, in a natural setting. Easy access for visitors interested in the industrial history of La Manche. Since August 26, 1991, the four Rey lime kilns have been listed as historic monuments.Today, they are the property of the Conseil Général de la Manche, which preserves them as part of the departmental network of sites and museums in Manche.

Stone wall of a medieval fortress with an arch and turretsView of a section of a medieval stone fortress. The wall features a dark arch and two round turrets. The sky is blue with a few clouds. Green grass and wildflowers grow in the foreground.
©The ruins of this medieval fortress tell tales of centuries past.

    Lime kilns in history

    A land of limestone, Normandy was a strategic extraction location to meet the growing demand for lime in various industries at the time. Thanks to its ideal geographical position, Regnéville-sur-Mer was the perfect place for lime production in the 19th century. Its port was one of the busiest in the Cotentin region, and its lime production was to maintain this maritime vocation for decades to come.

    The four kilns were built on the former quarry face of the Rey limestone quarry, according to the plans of engineer Pierre Simoneau. The kilns were used to calcinate limestone to produce quicklime. This was then transported to the Channel Islands and the Brittany coast for liming.

    Used less and less over time, lime production only lasted around 30 years, coming to a halt in the late 1880s.

    One hundred years later, Jean-Claude Énault, mayor of Regnéville, and Luc Macé-Maulaurie, director of the Conservatoire de Musique, convinced the Conservatoire’s choristers to clear this abandoned site and launch cultural activities. On June 21, 1983, the day of the music festival, the inaugural concert of the Rey lime kilns was produced with the support of the Conseil Général de la Manche, and thanks to its success, the site was revived.

    Geological map with rocks and explanationsA detailed geological map is displayed on an outdoor sign. The map shows different colored areas representing various types of rocks and geological formations. Next to the sign, there are two rock samples. The text on the sign is in French and provides information about the geological features of the region.
    ©Explore the geological diversity of the region with this interactive map.
    View of a ruined old bread oven surrounded by a metal fenceView of a ruined old bread oven, built with bricks and stones, surrounded by a metal fence. The oven shows signs of aging and deterioration. In the background, there is a lush lawn and trees.
    ©The remains of an old bread oven, surrounded by a metal fence, are located in a lush garden.

      AND TODAY

      Now a place of historical interest, it is part of a protected industrial heritage site.

      You can discover the history of the Rey lime kilns by following the interpretation trail, made up of eight themed stations and twenty explanatory panels.

      The site is open to visitors every day from 9am to 7pm.

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