THE WOOL HOUSE

Presentation

Discover the “Follow the thread” Exhibition

The Maison de la Laine et du Drap (Wool House) located at 77 rue Trivalle in Carcassonne presents the great epic of the Cloth Industry in Carcassonne.

Creating a woolen cloth requires several steps which will be presented one by one in the Maison de la Laine et du Drap. These steps, each as important as the next, required artisanal know-how and special tools.

First of all, the merino sheep and its wool will be presented to you, then the sorting and washing of this same wool. Subsequently, carding and spinning will be presented to you with historical tools. Then, warping and weaving on a loom to understand this incredible technique which has existed since the Neolithic era. Then, the job of trimmer will be explained to you and finally, the dyeing process will be discussed, in particular the importance of Carcassonne blues.

The last stage of the Maison de la Laine et du Drap will approach the Merchant-Manufacturers, these great orchestra masters of all this industry in the city but also the former Royal Manufacture of Trivalle. Its magnificent facade, visible at the end of the Pont-Vieux, allows us to remember a whole history which was so important to Carcassonne.