Bruay-sur-l'Escaut

In 1728, industry, greedy for combustibles, used up all the forest wood around Bruay. Some drilling to find a coal veins was attempted. The Lagrance coalmine, with low firedamp and a shaft with a depth of 139 metres, created in 1858. Some quicksands and water who invaded the building site ( 45 cubic metres per second), retarded the workers pending the coalmine construction. The name of the coalmine, Lagrange, descend of the baron Lagrange 's name, who was la Compagnie des mines d'Anzin manager. Starting from 1871 to 1873 the compagny created coalmine houses city around the coalmine (coron in French) to loge the coalmine labour workers. On October 10, 1918 the German soldiers dynamited the coal mine, the water invaded the galleries and the production has been stopped. The exploitation will go back to work in 1919. At this date, a coke firme and generating station created. The coalmine has been closed in 1954. The slag heap, rich in schiste, has been used for the construction of the A2 motorway ( autoroute A2 in French) in 1970 and the easel has been disassembled.