The success of Ile-Grande granite stems primarily from its undeniable practicality: because of its island location, granite reserves are easy to reach and immediately available. What's more, as most of the islets on Ile-Grande are uninhabited, there are no constraints on extraction. Finally, the granite of Ile-Grande is of the highest quality and most diverse. From a regional point of view, it was here that quarrying was most active from the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th, and these 14 hectares of quarries are the finest example of granite quarrying by the sea..
From the end of the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance, granite from Ile-Grande was extracted for the construction of churches, but this practice remained marginal. It wasn't until 1827 that the town council decided to legislate on granite quarrying, out of a concern to keep the roads safe and control ‘uncontrolled’ quarrying, while at the same time making a profit from the trade. From 1850, the reefs and small islands of the archipelago were leased to quarrymen for successive periods of 6 to 9 years. Quarrymen came from all over, particularly from the Chausey islands and the Cotentin peninsula. Between 1860 and 1910, the population doubled. During these fifty years, granite quarrying, at around 800 tonnes a day, was at its peak on Ile-Grande, which became ‘the quarrymen's island’. Ile-Grande granite was exported to the Channel and Atlantic coasts for use in paving stones, kerbstones, quay walls and other applications. Disembarked in ports such as Caen, Cherbourg, Boulogne, Dunkirk, Bordeaux and Bayonne, and partly used on site, they were transported to many inland regions such as Le Havre, Rouen, Paris, Pau and Lourdes. In Brittany itself, they were used to build the Héaux lighthouse in Bréhat, the Morlaix viaduct, the Triagoz lighthouse, the Louannec church, the Saint-Brieuc railway station and aqueduct, the Portrieux quay, the Lézardrieux viaduct and much more!
From the end of the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance, granite from Ile-Grande was extracted for the construction of churches, but this practice remained marginal. It wasn't until 1827 that the town council decided to legislate on granite quarrying, out of a concern to keep the roads safe and control ‘uncontrolled’ quarrying, while at the same time making a profit from the trade. From 1850, the reefs and small islands of the archipelago were leased to quarrymen for successive periods of 6 to 9 years. Quarrymen came from all over, particularly from the Chausey islands and the Cotentin peninsula. Between 1860 and 1910, the population doubled. During these fifty years, granite quarrying, at around 800 tonnes a day, was at its peak on Ile-Grande, which became ‘the quarrymen's island’. Ile-Grande granite was exported to the Channel and Atlantic coasts for use in paving stones, kerbstones, quay walls and other applications. Disembarked in ports such as Caen, Cherbourg, Boulogne, Dunkirk, Bordeaux and Bayonne, and partly used on site, they were transported to many inland regions such as Le Havre, Rouen, Paris, Pau and Lourdes. In Brittany itself, they were used to build the Héaux lighthouse in Bréhat, the Morlaix viaduct, the Triagoz lighthouse, the Louannec church, the Saint-Brieuc railway station and aqueduct, the Portrieux quay, the Lézardrieux viaduct and much more!
Openings
Openings
All year 2025
