The former Saint-Clair waterworks, which supplied water to Lyons, came into service in 1856. It originally formed a large industrial plant, of which a homogeneous whole remains. It consists of an almost complete Cornish pump, a witness of a technological achievement, housed in a perfectly preserved neoclassical building with Polonceau trusses, and fed by two magnificent filtering pools. Four other buildings complete the site, including Lyons' first water analysis laboratory. The Saint-Clair site is a unique place where technology and emotion combine.
The non-profit making association “L'Eau à Lyon et la pompe de Cornouailles” (EAL) or “Water in Lyons and the Cornish Pump”, was created on 29 April 2003. It aims at:
- Developing the concept of the industrial, architectural and historical heritage represented by the Cornwall pump and the filtering pools located in the township of Caluire et Cuire;
- Promoting the preservation of the Cornish pump site and filtering basins, as well as the water supply and sanitation techniques used in Lyons and the surrounding area from Antiquity to the present day.
Main activities: promoting the Saint-Clair site (welcoming visitors, organising events, book publishing, ...) and consolidating the history of Lyons' water supply from Antiquity to nowdays (Cahiers de Saint-Clair).
Prizes and Awards
1988: Registered as an Historical Monument
1991: The Cornish pump is classified as an Historical Monument
2016: Ensemble Industriel Remarquable (EIR) label of Aurhalpin* Heritage (* from the Auvergne Rhône Alpes area)
2019: EDF Aurhalpin Heritage Trophy for the lighting of one filtering pool at Saint-Clair
2023: Grand Prix Citoyens du Patrimoine “Annie et Régis Neyret” from the City of Lyons for all its publications
Achievements of EAL in a few words
The association “L'Eau à Lyon et la pompe de Cornouailles” (EAL) aims to enhance the interest of the site of the former Saint-Clair waterworks, through a range of activities, including welcoming visitors and publishing books on the history of the water supply to Lyons and the surrounding area.
EAL monthly newsletter
"Les Potins de la Cornouailles", available to non-members on our website.
