World · Europe · 2 hrs ago
Gargenville’s 90-metre cement works tower demolished
A 90-metre tower at a former cement works collapsed at 11 a.m.
on 15 October in Gargenville, in France’s Yvelines department.
The controlled demolition removed part of the site’s old kiln line, which is being dismantled.
The works once produced clinker and cement, but the site now operates as a cement-grinding centre after its original deposits were exhausted.
At its peak in the 1970s, the plant employed more than 500 people.
Former workers and local residents watched the demolition, with some expressing sadness at the loss of a familiar landmark.
One former worker said the demolition reflected the loss of the area’s industrial heritage.
Other concrete structures from the old kiln line are also due to be dismantled.
A 90-metre tower at the former cement works in Gargenville collapsed at 11 a.m. on 15 October 2026.
Heidelberg Materials carried out the controlled demolition as part of dismantling the site’s former kiln line.
The demolition took place at the industrial site in Gargenville, in the Yvelines department.
Former workers and other spectators watched the tower fall, with some expressing sadness at the loss of an industrial landmark.
The site now operates as a cement grinding centre after the original deposits were exhausted.
- Who
- Heidelberg Materials carried out the demolition.
- What
- A 90-metre tower from the former kiln line was demolished in a controlled collapse.
- When
- 15 October 2026, at 11 a.m.
- Where
- The former cement works in Gargenville, Yvelines, France.
- Why
- The demolition was part of dismantling the former kiln line, which had become obsolete after the original deposits were exhausted.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Gargenville cement works began operating.
The site began operating as a cement grinding centre after the original deposits were exhausted.
The 90-metre tower collapsed during the demolition.
- Tower height
- 90 metres
- Demolition
- 15 October 2026, 11 a.m.
- Safety perimeter
- 200 metres
- Location
- Gargenville, Yvelines
- Operator
- Heidelberg Materials
3 sources
What people are saying
It still gives you a pang in the heart.
It’s the entire industrial heritage of the Mantois that is disappearing.