Museum of Faience

The Faïencerie de Gien is a large factory for fine earthenware that was established in 1821 by the English entrepreneur Thomas Edme Hulm (usually known as Thomas Hall). He took over the architecturally impressive buildings of a former convent close to the river Loire, 60km east of Orléans. A museum was opened there in 1895 to show a large collection of pieces produced in the area. It was redisplayed and expanded in 2022 in the factory cellars where clay was once stored. Gien was a suitable location for Hill’s business as it had local supplies of clay and other minerals and the Loire navigation could bring wood to fuel the kilns. The early production was of tableware of sophisticated forms. The products reached a high level of quality in the late nineteenth century and the factory continues to produce fine ceramics, which are shown in a factory shop.