The Longo Mai wool mill in Chantemerle, Serre Chevalier – Reviving lost traditions

The arrival of the Longo Maï community

When they took the mill, it was just a big abandoned building, where no wool had been spun for sixteen years. The 1920 machinery was covered in cobwebs, the floor littered with debris, and years of exposure to the elements had weakened the structure itself. But the philosophy of this Swiss-born community is to keep old traditions and skills alive while living independently and independent of modern socioeconomic conventions. It seems that one just needed to roll up their sleeves, a strong belief and a lot of patience. The result is easy to see.

The textile industry of Serre Chevalier

The mill is today a going concern and the community has six members. It is executed using methods dating back to the 14th century. It was then that the first mills appeared in the Guisane Valley but the first textile industry began to develop around the 16th century. Little by little, the mills in the area, including the one in Chantemerle, began to work textiles alongside the traditional grain business. Daniel Gilbert, a history teacher in Briançon, tells us: “Until the 19th century, all the textile factories kept their flour mill to meet the needs of the people. You can still see the old millstone in Chantemerle.

There were some fifty textile factories in the area in the 19th century, most of which were located in former flour mills. These family businesses manufactured for the local custom. A hat factory was founded in Villeneuve and today houses the UCPA center ‘les Chapeaux’, which means ‘hats’ in French.

Schappe’s factories in Briancon were the largest silk factories in the Alps, flourishing between 1873 and 1890. They employed 1,200 workers and mainly supplied Lyon silk magnates.

Chantemerle’s mill

The Chantemerle mill had been in the Blanchard family since the 1880s and was one of the smallest in the valley. The cold winters made it a seasonal activity as the water froze. With World War I, the area’s emerging industry withered as workers were conscripted as soldiers. The aftermath of the war witnessed a new era with changing consumer habits and modern textiles like cotton and nylon dominating the market thanks to their comfort and easy care. The mills slowly disappeared and the Schappe factories were closed in 1933. Three generations of Blanchards kept the Chantemerle mill open as a supplement to their agricultural work until the 1960s.

The Longo Mai Mill today

The Longo Mai community has not been idle since their arrival. They restored the workshop and the homes of the partners, but they also invested in new machinery, a merino herd of 450 sheep and a water turbine, which produces 80% of their electricity. Fifteen tons of fine wool are turned into socks, sweaters, blankets, etc. each year and are then sold in their own shop, in markets and by mail order. Always concerned with spreading its belief in wool as an outstanding product, the spinning mill organizes a guided tour of its workshop once a week. The visitor will tour the three floors of the building and will show the complete process of making a sweater or blanket, from washing the wool to sewing it. It is a journey into a world that could have been lost forever.

Despite its somewhat outdated appearance and its simple machinery, this oil mill is recognized worldwide for its extensive know-how and wool research. It is a testament to an industrialized European craft that continues to fascinate.