MUSEUM LE SECQ DES TOURNELLES
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Museum housing nearly 14,000 pieces offering visitors an overview of the arts of iron, including forged, gold-plated and cast iron
This museum dedicated to the iron arts is well worth a visit, if only for its first original feature: it’s housed in a former church. The initiative behind this collection was taken by painter and photographer Jean-Louis-Henri Le Secq Destournelles (1818-1882). He worked with Prosper Mérimée on a campaign to photograph France’s historic monuments, during which he discovered numerous pieces of ironwork that he set about collecting. His son Henry completed the collection, then donated it to the city of Rouen after presenting it at the 1900 Paris Universal Exhibition. The church of Saint-Laurent, dating from the late 15th century and restored in 1911, was attributed to him. The museum, inaugurated in 1921, was enriched until his death in 1925 by the donor who had become curator. In the course of the twentieth century, further fine pieces were added thanks to donations and bequests. Today, the collection comprises almost 14,000 pieces, offering visitors an overview of the art of iron: forged, ornamented and cast, highlighting the infinite resources of this metal. Hot-worked, it is as malleable as modelling clay, and when cooled, it is remarkably hard and solid. The collection extends from Gallo-Roman times to the 20th century, and covers the whole of Europe as well as Oriental countries. Locks, signs, ornaments, cutlery, trade tools, church decorations, home decor... An unusual visit for the whole family.
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Note, however, that the museum is in a former church, which adds a certain charm.