Villa Perrusson

About the museum

Villa Perrusson was the former home of the Perrusson-Desfontaines family, who ran a roof tile and architectural ceramics company at Écuisses, near the Canal du Centre. The first building, the Perrusson pavilion, dates from 1869; it was a fairly simple middle-class house surrounded by a wooded park with an orangery and kitchen garden.

Between 1892 and 1895, when the family factory was at its height, the much more ornate Desfontaines pavilion was added against the north façade. The decoration of the older building was enriched to form a coherent whole. The house then served as a showcase for the company: bricks, tiles, enamelled tiles, ridge tiles, friezes, panels, balustrades and ceilings display the full range of the factory's skills.

The villa has been listed on the supplementary inventory of historic monuments since 2001. The Communauté urbaine Creusot Montceau acquired it in 2008 and carried out a major restoration campaign from 2014 to 2022 (façades, roofs, garden, then interiors). The garden opened to the public in 2016, and the whole site in 2023. Today the Desfontaines pavilion is furnished and decorated as it was around 1900–1910, in the time of Gabriel Desfontaines, grandson of the founder, while the Perrusson pavilion hosts temporary exhibitions. The site is run by the Écomusée Creusot Montceau.

Highlights

• Desfontaines pavilion, furnished and decorated as it was around 1900–1910
• Façades and interiors decorated with bricks, tiles and enamelled tiles, showcasing the factory
• English garden with exhibitions by contemporary ceramists
• Contrast between the simple 1869 house and its ornate 1890s extension
• Free admission to the villa and garden

Permanent exhibition

• Intérieurs reconstitués du pavillon Desfontaines – The rooms, from private bedrooms to the company office, are furnished and decorated as they were around 1900–1910, in the time of Gabriel Desfontaines.

Operated by

Communauté urbaine Creusot Montceau (Écomusée Creusot Montceau)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission for everyone, to the villa and garden. Payment in cash or by bank card (shop).

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The garden, the reception-shop, the Perrusson pavilion and part of the Desfontaines pavilion are accessible to people with reduced mobility; manual wheelchair users can access the whole site, but some rooms are not accessible in an electric wheelchair. Induction loop, Sac FACIL and large-print booklet available. Dogs on a lead are admitted only in the garden.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly

During school holidays, workshops for children are offered; dates are in the site's events calendar. The garden, the reception-shop and the Perrusson pavilion are accessible with pushchairs.

Getting there & parking

By car: motorway A6 from Dijon or Lyon, exit 26 Chalon Sud, direction Lons-le-Saunier / Montceau-les-Mines / Le Creusot. By bike: green cycle route along the Canal du Centre, with bike parking (bring your own padlock).

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Bookshop and shop. Lockable lockers at the cloakroom (bags are not allowed in the furnished interiors). Picnics permitted only in the park.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit