European Heritage Days: Visit to the Laurent tile factory

Visits on Saturday: 11am, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm
Visits on Sunday: 11am, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm and 5pm

Come and visit the last artisanal tile factory in the Côte d'Or! Eric and Colin (father and son) will retrace the history of this family business with a demonstration of the production process.

It was in 1862 that François Laurent, working at the Aisy-Sous-Thil tile factory, had the idea of picking up some clay in his handkerchief on the edge of a road in Thil-la-Ville in the commune of Nan-sous-Thil.

From this clay, a few flat tiles were made, fired in his boss's oven. When the clay was fired, he was pleased with the apparent quality of his test. He decided to buy a plot of land to make his dream come true: to make tiles with the clay of Thil. This is how the Tuilerie Laurent was born.

In the summer of 1988, Eric came to help his father and undertook major work to facilitate the handling of products. In 1990, he officially became the fourth generation to run the tile factory.

After demolishing the old wood-fired kilns, Eric acquired more modern and more economical gas-fired kilns in 1999 and 2008. With these two kilns and a good organisation of the work, he now ensures a quality production within a reasonable time.

Eric had been running the company alone for several years, and after thirty-two years of loyal service, Colin decided to work with him to take over in 2022. It's time for the fifth generation!