Nestled in the heart of Châtillon, within the Hauts-de-Seine region, stands a stone structure that looks as if it’s been plucked straight from another era. Two massive brick-built piers, a large wooden drum, and a peculiar circular ride: this is the Auboin Quarry’s winch, one of the last remaining witnesses to a once-vital industry that helped shape Paris’s skyline.
Before becoming a residential suburb, Châtillon was one of the areas in the Paris basin where limestone was quarried for construction projects in the capital. In the 19th century, numerous underground quarries operated in the region to supply the renowned Parisian building stone used in many structures and monuments.
To lift these massive blocks from the depths of the earth, an ingenious system was required. The winch at the Auboin quarry was positioned right above the extraction shaft. Its purpose: hoisting the quarried stone blocks from the underground tunnels, located about 35 meters below the surface.
The setup is straightforward. A large drum, wound with a cable, is positioned between two sturdy stone pillars. This drum is connected to a circular riding platform on which a draft horse trotted around. As the horse walked in a slow circle, it turned the gears of the mechanism, enabling heavy blocks—ranging from four to eight tons—to be hoisted to the surface. This intense activity gradually came to an end in the early 20th century, when local quarry operations ceased.
Over the years, almost nothing will remain of these structures… except for this winch. The Châtillon winch is now regarded as a remarkable industrial relic in Île-de-France. It has even been listed in the Inventory of Historic Monuments since 1992.
In the 1980s, local history enthusiasts set out to preserve the structure. The PICAR Association launched a restoration project that, after several years of dedicated effort, succeeded in bringing the mechanism back to working order. The first demonstrations took place in the early 1990s.
Even today, volunteers dedicate their time to preserving this piece of industrial history. Most of the time, the winch sits quietly in its enclosure, unused. But on special days, it springs back to life, echoing its lively past. Every year, during the European Heritage Days, visitors have the opportunity to witness a live demonstration of the winch in action. This includes the use of traditional tools employed by quarry workers and bringing the mechanism to life exactly as it would have operated in days gone by.
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