MUSÉE MAURICE DUFRESNE
This mammoth but lovingly curated French tribute to the machinery and tools of simpler times is a real treat
friend like Maurice Dufresne. Perhaps it’s you? He or she is the person who finds what looks like a worthless item, but thinks: ‘I’ll put this aside – just in case it comes in useful one day.’
Maurice Dufresne definitely had that mindset. At the age of 22, he ran a blacksmith’s workshop at a time when mechanical equipment was taking over from the horse. He hit on the idea of making farm trailers for tractors and built more than a thousand of them.
Finding base materials hard to come by, he began recycling metals. He found that the disposable age was upon him and began accumulating obsolete machinery, tractors, tools, farm equipment and anything else he felt to be part of history, concentrating on the period from 1850 to the 1950s, though he also kept many items from outside that timeframe.
Like all such ever-growing collections, the size became unsustainable, so Maurice bought a disused paper mill in 1983. Today, it makes a wonderful site for his collection. Sadly, Maurice left us in 2008, but he will never be forgotten while his museum, which is still operated by his family, continues to attract visitors from all over the world.
The museum stands amongst vineyards in Azay-le-Rideau, 25 kilometres south of Tours, and, appropriately, the first sight is a tractor on a tall plinth, informing us that there are 3000 ancient machines to be seen within. The walk to the entrance passes a number of shelters, with tractors, trucks, a tank or two and all kinds of mechanical equipment on view. Once you’re inside the buildings, it becomes apparent that this is a personal collection, rather than a commercial museum. It has a cosy, friendly atmosphere and you will notice that the visitors are relaxed and smiling, as they wander around the numerous exhibit rooms.
Maurice restored weaving and paper-making machinery to working order and all around these are carriages, cars, trucks, tractors, motorcycles, automobilia and the like. One vast room holds 3500 firearms and light weaponry, while a favourite with impressionable youngsters is the mobile guillotine. Due to the pressure of work, it became difficult getting the toffs to central Paris to behead them, so some guillotines were mounted on wheels, to travel the country, also saving 100 or so victims the tedium of the tumbril ride through Paris.
Naturally, the flavour is towards French vehicles. Examples include an interesting 1941 Peugeot Voiture Légère de Ville, an electric car built for use by the French emergency services during the Nazi occupation; a 1912 De Dion Bouton used for resupplying the maquis during the same period, and an extraordinary looking 1919 Buick, rebodied in 1930 by Bernin of Tours, that was reputed to have been used by Marshal Pétain. So many of the exhibits have these interesting stories. There is even a 1950 Morgan tucked away in a corner, a Blériot type XI monoplane, and a mobile commode nearby.
So, this is not a typical car museum: it is a dip into French history that takes an instructive and enjoyable couple of hours to view, all in a beautiful location. There is a restaurant and souvenirs are for sale. Thanks, Maurice, for an enjoyable reminder of the ‘simple life’.
MUSÉE MAURICE DUFRESNE, 17 Route de Marnay, 37190 Azay-le-Rideau. Situated roughly halfway between Le Mans and Poitiers. Open July-August daily, 10-7pm; September Wed to Sun, 10-6; April-June Wed to Sun, 10-7. Admission: Adults €12. 10-17-year-olds €7. www.musee-dufresne.com