Fonderie Cornille-Havard

Fonderie Cornille Havard is a bell foundry and art bronze maker based in Villedieu-les-Poêles, Normandy, heir to a long tradition of bell founders established there since the Middle Ages. It works from a workshop built in 1865 and produces around a hundred monumental bells each year, alongside church and private bells, carillons, and art and decorative bronzes such as artist statues and bas-reliefs. The foundry also acts as a campanist, handling installation and maintenance of bells, building clocks, and related electrical and electronic installations. Its workshop is open to the public and receives more than 50,000 visitors each year.

The Fonderie Cornille Havard is the heir to a long tradition of bell founders established in Villedieu-les-Poêles since the late Middle Ages. Before the current workshop was built, founders were itinerant and traveled to the foot of churches and cathedrals to make their bells. Paul Havard, succeeding his brother-in-law César Béatrix in 1836, gave his name to the foundry. In 1865, when Adolphe Havard, a polytechnic engineer, took over the activity, he had the workshop built and settled the bell-founding activity. From 1874 he considerably developed the company's activity, exporting its bells worldwide. In 1903 Adolphe Havard partnered with his son-in-law Léon Cornille, who took over the management in 1904, when it became the Fonderie Cornille Havard. From 1934 to 1944 it was directed by André Peeters. In 1944 activity stopped, and only in 1946 did Marguerite Cornille, daughter of Léon Cornille, resume and restart the activity. Marguerite Cornille sold the foundry to Françoise and Luigi Bergamo on 1 June 1981. Luigi, an École Centrale engineer, handled technical direction and was the first in the world to model layouts in CAD. He developed acoustic control using an electronic spectrum analyzer. His wife Françoise took charge of sales and developed tourism activity by opening the workshop to the public. In 2001 Paul Bergamo joined the family company to develop and promote it. In 2012 he bought all the shares. Since then he has continued the traditions that allow the Fonderie Cornille Havard to be recognized by all of...

Combines the best of tradition with the best of technology; heir to a long tradition of bell founders in Villedieu-les-Poêles.

• Church bells

• Bells for private properties

• Carillons

• Art bronzes

• Decorative bronzes

• Artist statues

• Bas-reliefs

1. 1Accueil - Cornille Havardcornille-havard.com
2. 2Histoire - Cornille Havardcornille-havard.com
3. 3Fonderie Cornille-Havardwikidata.org