Discovering the craft trades in the heart of the town

At the foot of the Chain of Puys, Clermont-Ferrand, City of Art and History, gives the opportunity of outings into the heart of nature while taking advantage of everything the city has to offer. The Notre-Dame-du-Port Basilica (a World Heritage Site, as part of the Santiago de Compostello pilgrimage routes) is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture. Tucked away in the pedestrian quarters, flanked by antique shops, art galleries and Volvic stone fountains, push open the door to some very special workshops: R. Longuet, clockmaker and restorer; J. Casanova, guitar maker, or M-L. Lemoine, doll restorer.

People who collect knives should make a point of visiting the cutlery museum in Thiers (exhibits ranging from simple shepherd’s knives to secret knives , from the hoodlum’s flick-knife to the gold and mother-of-pearl knives on courtly tables) and the Cutlers Mansion. Make sure you don’t miss H. Viallon, Master Cutler and Smith, who makes damask steel blades, nor the last sharpener’s water mill in the Vallée des Rouets.

Then follow the Arts and Crafts trail in the Livradois-Forez Regional Nature Park to find out more about trades that go back hundreds of years. Did you know, for example, that the braided products made in Ambert are exported all round the world (Agrivap museum)? That there is still a traditional working paper mill (Richard-de-Bas)? These skills are the foundation on which leading edge technology has grown: marine fittings with Wichard (in the Auvergne since 1919), production of high temperature cables (Omerin) or braid for cords destined for all kinds of use (Joubert production SAS). Various sites bring yesterday to life again, such as the Ferme des Bois Noirs where the bread oven, the maie or bread-trough, pendulum clocks with weights, press beds and their marchabans, the hay loft, the slatted stacker, the salting room, and so on have been reconstituted. Le Puy-en-Velay is also an extraordinary place to visit, with its volcanic plugs and cathedral (World Heritage Site). This is the home of bobbin lace, a tradition that is still very much alive: why not take advantage of your visit to learn the lace maker’s skills, with a pillow, thread, bobbins, pins, a pricked-out pattern - all needed to produce clothstitch trail, halfstitch fillings, and “gothic arches”.

Stay a while in Limoges and learn all about porcelain. The Adrien Dubouché national Museum houses one of the finest collections in Europe and you can also admire the Four des Casseaux kiln, which is a listed historical monument. In Limoges tableware is exquisitely refined: highly contemporary creations are produced alongside the great classic styles. Factories are open for visits (Bernardaud, Haviland, Médard de Noblat, the Royal Limoges factory, etc), and also the artists’ workshops (RLD, Ali Babeth et les 40 Couleurs, Atelier Bouchane and L’atelier Cadau, to mention just a few). Don’t miss the other “fired arts” (enamelling, stained glass work, jewellery, gold and silver smiths, industrial ceramics), nor the master craftsmen enamellers A. Grafeuil and J-P. Boucharel (Best Craftsman in France).

Aubusson will be a delight if you are mad about tapestry. Ever since the Flemish tapestry makers took refuge here in 1580 and the Lady with the Unicorn was discovered at the castle of Boussac, the fame of tapestry made in the Creuse department has never waned. Royal Manufacturers in the 17th century, Aubusson and Felletin still produce orders for the State. Visit the museum and the Maison du Tapissier, the Saint-Jean, Pinton and Robert Four factories. From Brive-la-Gaillarde, drive out around the villages of the Corrèze department and learn the craftsmen’s secrets (coopering, hammered metal, saddlery, to mention just a few). How many people know that in French the word limousinage means the art of building with stone? Visit Les pans de Travassac (in Donzenac) to find out about the slate quarryman’s trade ...

And did you know that they have been making accordions in Tulle for over 80 years? The Maugein Frères workshop is open to the public, music lovers or not, to follow the different stages in making and assembling “live”.

The gateway to the Tarn and Jonte gorges, the limestone plateaux and the Aven Armand, Mende may be the smallest Prefecture in France, but is incredibly dynamic. The houses with their patina acquired over the ages, the paved streets, the slate roofs and all the historic sites in the city and around it are well worth a detour.

At Langogne, in the Margeride region, visit the Archipel Arts and Crafts Textile Centre and the Calquières spinning mill, where you can actually have a go on the looms! Admire the collection in the Museum of Religious Art: sumptuous sets of priestly ornaments and objects used for religious rites (vestments, monstrances, books, pictures, etc) all in perfect condition.

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