Lhe La Rochelle station has lost its crown. At least temporarily. During the night from Monday to Tuesday, the emblematic Clock Tower, which dominates the building, was removed on the sly. The lantern – a historic piece located at the top of the building, initially used to create a light well – was removed…
Lhe La Rochelle station has lost its crown. At least temporarily. During the night from Monday to Tuesday, the emblematic Clock Tower, which dominates the building, was removed on the sly. The lantern – a historic piece located at the top of the building, initially used to create a light well – was removed to be restored.
From 4 p.m. to 5 a.m., around ten people participated in the extraction. First, the lantern was secured to a crane. The team cut the metal frame below the wood cladding to be able to remove it. Once on the ground, the imposing structure – six meters high, three meters in diameter and more than five tonnes – was transported in an exceptional convoy to a site located south of the station, at the foot of the Joséphine footbridge. Baker. “Everything went very well, there were no notable hazards,” declared Matthieu Enou, “projects” director at SNCF Gares & Connexions, in charge of the file. A temporary cover was installed in place of the lantern to waterproof the large dome.
SNCF
The building rises to an altitude of 45 meters.
Exposure to bad weather
This major operation had been planned since March. The lantern was lowered so that it could be analyzed. “We had already noticed traces of wear, but it is difficult to be precise at 45 meters high,” says Matthieu Enou. “We want to continue the studies in order to be able to renovate it almost perfectly. » The lantern is made up of a metal structure decorated with a wooden covering. It is mainly this decorative cladding that would be affected, according to initial observations. “Fragilities are due to the effects of time and climate. At this height, the building is very exposed to bad weather and storms,” analyzes the “projects” director.
From now on, the lantern will be studied by specialists until the end of 2024. A call for tenders will then be issued depending on the specificity of the restoration needs. It will finally be renovated and placed back at the top of the Clock Tower in the second half of 2025, if everything goes without a hitch. The project will be continuously supported by the Regional Conservation of Historic Monuments.
Structure to be defined
For Matthieu Enou, “the lantern is an integral element of the station”. Erected when it was built in the 1910s, it has always stood at the top of the building. Initially, its ornaments were made of zinc. It was during its first, and only, renovation until then that a wood covering was preferred. At the moment, the materials that will be used for the new restored version have not yet been defined.
One thing is certain, this repair of the lantern will be followed, after the summer, by a repair of the large overhead glass roof of the station hall. A project which should last between one and two years. The disappearance of scaffolding and other traces of the work is planned for 2026.
