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The
existence and first probable development of
stone quarries in Pompignan date
back to the Roman Empire : many signs, among
which coins, have been found on the actual site.
We can assume that the roman extracting techniques
allowed them to reach only superficial surface
blocs.
As from the Middle-Ages, the Pompignan Stone
is used for many applications : wine vats, bridges,
ceilings, arches, stairways, balconies and chimney
stacks.
At the end of the 19th century up to the beginning
of world war one Pompignan stone quarries are
massively exploited. The stone of Pompignan
is thus classified in 1889 in the official French
repertoire of ashlars and over 100 stone cutters
are officially established in the village.
With the arrival of cement blocs cheaper to
exploit, the attraction for the grey Pompignan
stone declined leaving only two stone extracting
companies ( mainly for funeral monuments and
stone frames ) in the mid 1950s. It is also
during this period that working methods are
definitely and deeply changed with complete
mechanisation of the extracting process (bulldozers
and mechanical shovels ).
In
the very beginning of its existence, in the
early 1970s, the family company CRES,
extracted only building and paving stones.
In 1990 the DANCAN Bros company on its
side opened an old quarry site called "Lascans"
extracting mainly for stone ornamental surfacing
purposes.(marble stone).
Finally in 2001, the Cres company took
over their activities and the "SARL
les Carrieres de Pompignan" ltd company
was born thus grouping both activities : extraction
of slab and building stones together with ornamental
blocs.
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