Category:Corneau Frères Charleville

Partners since 1846, the Corneau brothers, Alfred (1825-1886) and Émile (1826-1906), settled ten years later in the Petit-Bois district in Charleville (Charleville-Mézières today), at the current site of the Deville factory. In 1859, they set up in their small factory, an old ironwork workshop, two cupolas, in order to devote themselves to the secondary foundry. This new activity was then in full swing in the north of the Ardennes department. Employing 300 people in the early 1890s, the former Corneau Frères factory specializes in "household and ornamental cast iron and heating appliances". Among the Ardennes foundries of the time, the Petit-Bois foundry stands out for its production of beautiful cast iron objects, including magnificent umbrella stands, benches, vases, and funeral crosses. Albert Deville (1844-1913), son-in-law of the late Alfred Corneau, will continue the activity.