Larroque et Pombié

Larroque et Pombié is the historic name of an art paper business run from the Moulin de Larroque, a paper mill on the Couze river in Couze-et-Saint-Front, Dordogne. The mill building itself dates back to the 13th century and has been used for papermaking since medieval times — the clean waters of the Couze were long considered one of the reasons the area became a papermaking hub.

How did the Larroque et Pombié business start?

After centuries of decline, the mill was bought by Georges Duchêne in July 1972, and papermaking resumed there by 2 November of the same year. Duchêne rebuilt the window and door frames by hand and restored the mill's Dutch beater, the machine needed to pulp cotton rags into paper stock. To expand output of paper made on round moulds, he also leased the Moulin de Pombié in Cuzorn, in the Lot-et-Garonne department. The company name that followed, Larroque et Pombié, combined the two mill names and stayed in use for decades.

What made the paper produced here distinctive?

By the 1980s the two mills together produced around 50 tonnes of art paper a year, with 40% exported to Europe, the United States and Israel. The flagship product was "Colombe" paper — a soft, textured sheet favoured by printmakers for techniques such as aquatint, drypoint and embossing. Buyers included individual artists, print publishers, art restorers and specialist art suppliers.

What happened to the Pombié mill?

The Moulin de Pombié burned down in 1992 and was never rebuilt. A downturn in the art market through the 1990s pushed the company into bankruptcy in 1996, after which production carried on solely from the Moulin de Larroque in Couze-et-Saint-Front.

Is the mill still active today?

Yes. Duncan Kilgour took over management in 2009 and expanded the mill's output into luxury packaging paper alongside its traditional art paper line. In 2010 the site was awarded the "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant" (Living Heritage Company) label, and in 2013 it was listed as a Monument Historique. The Moulin de Larroque is considered one of Europe's largest producers of handmade paper for artists and remains open to visitors.

What can visitors see on site?

A visit takes in the historic mill building on the banks of the Couze, the traditional process of turning cotton rags into sheets of handmade paper, and the story of the Duchêne family and the Larroque et Pombié business that supplied artists worldwide for decades. It's a rare chance to see a papermaking craft that has been practised in Couze-et-Saint-Front almost without interruption since the Middle Ages.

FAQ

What was the Larroque et Pombié company? It was an art paper business founded by Georges Duchêne in the early 1970s, operating from two mills — the Moulin de Larroque in Couze-et-Saint-Front and the leased Moulin de Pombié in Lot-et-Garonne — after Duchêne bought and restored the 13th-century Larroque mill.

Can the Moulin de Larroque be visited today? Yes, the mill in Couze-et-Saint-Front is still an active paper business and is open to visitors, who can see the traditional handmade papermaking process.

What happened to the second mill, Pombié? The Moulin de Pombié in Cuzorn burned down in 1992 and was never rebuilt, so all production moved to Couze-et-Saint-Front.

What was the company's signature paper? "Colombe" paper — a soft, textured sheet used by printmakers for techniques such as aquatint and drypoint.