Visit to the Oulerie in Uzech-les-Oules

This spring, I went to the Pays Gourdonnais region to propose a journey that will be published in Itinérances, the summer special edition of Dire Lot. I stopped in Uzech-les-Oules to visit L’Oulerie, where Rémy Debouttière is a potter. He tells us about the history of the village and its connection to this craft:

“The village has a pottery tradition dating back to the 12th century, with the first written records from the 15th century. The industry was significant, particularly in the 18th century when there were 60 potters in the village, as well as tile works and brickyards. At that time, the focus wasn’t on aesthetics, but on meeting practical needs. Potters produced large pieces of tableware, including grease pots, water or walnut oil jars, and ‘grézales,’ a very common item known locally as a ‘grézale,’ though it may have a different name in other regions. These were the ancestor of the washbasin. They came in various sizes and were mass-produced. Uzech also has a strong tradition of ridge tiles. Gradually, the industry declined. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were far fewer potters; only one family remained, the Terry family.” The last potter in operation, Aymé Terry, died in 1956. Pottery production then ceased for over 30 years. But the pottery fair was revived in Uzech in the early 1990s. A potter returned to the village, and a political will to revive this craft emerged: the project to create the Oulerie, led by the municipality with Mayor Danielle Deviers, began at that time and was supported by the Communauté de Communes, the Department, the Region, and Europe. The space is a former agricultural barn that has been converted into a place dedicated to ceramics. Now, several potters work here.

L’Oulerie houses a large and beautiful collective exhibition space and three adjoining workshops. Today, Rémy Debouttière exhibits and sells his creations there, alongside his wife Nathacha Debouttière-Brosset and the young potter Coline Edinger. Until the end of the summer, Manon Collot, from La Poterie de la Maison Rose in Prayssac, will also be presenting her work, and the pottery fair will take place on August 22nd and 23rd. In addition, a museum space called L’Oustal des Oules offers further insight into the history of this craft, which has shaped the village’s identity.

To discover the entire journey, in the form of a loop starting from Gourdon, go to the magazine Itinérances available in June.