Coësmes can be explored through its slate history and the Chemin des Saulniers. Both raise different questions: what remains of the work once carried out here, and which historical sites does the route connect? The architecture of Notre-Dame Church and traces of everyday life in the village add to the picture.
Slate Quarries and Manor Houses
The Plessix slate quarries were established in 1840. In 1892, a workers’ settlement with twenty homes was built there. The site covers ten hectares; features that remain include slate spoil heaps, a mine shaft, a water basin and the forge building. Those interested in industrial history will find not only evidence of slate extraction here, but also of the settlement associated with this place of work.
The building history of the manor houses also goes back a long way. The history of Manoir du Plessix dates back to around 1186; its features included a chapel and a fuie, a small dovecote. The Manoir, le Plessis dates from the 17th century. Its right-hand section was altered in the 18th century. These two dates help distinguish its early history from the building fabric that has survived from a later period.
Church Architecture and Village History
Notre-Dame Church brings together several periods of construction: its Neo-Gothic porch tower dates from 1859. Part of the church building commissioned by Arthur Regnault in the Neo-Renaissance style in 1905 has also been preserved. The floor plan is in the shape of a Latin cross; the building also has rib vaults. Older altarpieces have survived as well. When comparing architectural features, you can look at the floor plan, vaults and altarpieces rather than classifying the church by a single style label.
Another way to explore local history is through the Palis well on Rue du quartier la Costarderie. It is made of slate slabs and recalls how villagers once drew water from wells. This practice ended when the village was connected to the water supply in 1964. The well thus links a visible structure to a specific change in village life.
The Chemin des Saulniers and Its Stops
The Chemin des Saulniers starts at the car park by the Étang in Coësmes. Along the route are former slate quarries dating from the 19th century and the Chemin des Saulniers from the Ancien Régime. These different historical associations sit alongside one another along the route, though they do not belong to the same period or tell the same story.
The Moulin de la Pile is also part of the route. What remains of the site includes a ruin, a former grain store and the dam’s retaining walls. There is also a plan d’eau along the way, considered a place to relax and associated with zander and pike. These stops offer a different focus from the slate quarries: here, the interest lies in the links between the route, the mill and the water.
The difference is clear when deciding what to focus on: at the slate quarries, the emphasis is on the ten-hectare site and its surviving features. The Chemin des Saulniers, by contrast, passes several historical sites. You can choose what to explore according to whether you are more interested in an industrial site or in history along a route.
Local Sports Activities
If you are also considering local club activities, Club Les Fées Grimpent offers climbing. The club accepts children aged six and over and lends climbing equipment. Before visiting, contact the club directly to check what participation and equipment-loan options are currently available.
The Association Gymnastique de Coësmes offers gymnastics for adults and multisport sessions for children. Two trial sessions are free before you sign up. Since schedules may change with the seasons, it is best to check the latest information with the Association in advance.
Discover more destinations: Bédée, Saint-M'hervé, Cesson-Sévigné, Hirel, Baulon, Saint-Père, Plouasné, Lohéac.
For the regional travel overview: Ille-Et-Vilaine.
