The Baume & Marpent archive collection

Le fonds d’archives Baume & Marpent

Isabelle Sirjacobs

p. 198


Texte intégral

1The Écomusée of Bois-du-Luc, housed since 1983 at the old mining site of Bois-du-Luc (Belgium), has made the saving and transmission of industrial experiences one of its founding missions. Included among its collections is the Baume & Marpent archives. With over 100 linear meters of archives, this precious assembly contains numerous plans (1200) portfolios, photographs (including 800 glass slides) as well as administrative archives (20 linear meters). It reflects the international expansion of the company founded in Haine-Saint-Pierre (La Louvière) in 1853. Originally specialized in railway construction, from 1871 the company diversified its manufacturing programme and conquered the five continents: China, the Near and Middle East, Belgian Congo, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt etc. In addition to civil engineering constructions, it created structures for civil and industrial buildings; gasometers, water, oil and acid reservoirs; heavy engineering machinery, railway equipment, etc. These constructions are all documented in the Baume & Marpent archive collection which is of undeniable interest for the architectural field. The portfolios of technical plans thus contain the entire development process for constructions, from land surveys for the elevation of a bridge to the details of rivets or even the decorative escutcheons of the railings that contain it.

2The archives selected in the context of the Arching project illustrate the projects embarked on by Baume & Marpent in Egypt. These records show how much the firm from Haine-Saint-Pierre worked in that part of the Mediterranean basin. The company’s administrative archives complement the information supplied by technical plans, such as, for example the abundant correspondence exchanged between the head office at Haine-Saint-Pierre and the Egyptian division (1948-1958). The archives describe moreover the close relationships formed between Belgium and Egypt through Belgian and Egyptian engineers in particular working together on numerous projects. Beyond the technical exploits of the company, it is precisely this alternative view which fascinates us and opens us to new perspectives.


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