MIAT is housed in the former Desmet-Guequier cotton mill, a space that used to buzz with activity of its textile workers. They have long since departed, but their memories and stories live in the museum.
The expansion of the factory
Pieter Van Huffel was the first entrepreneur to start a venture here. The exact date is not known.He was commissioned to process six bales of raw cotton on the Baseland Frankfurtmarkets, back in 1819. This gave him enough financial strength to buy a steam engine. Besides the spinning mill, he built a cotton weaving mill around 1830.
New owners
Pierre Guequier and Ferdinand Dierman bought the enterprise in 1845 and immediately embarked on creating a large-scale works.
Guequier bought out his partner in 1854. Together with his brother-in-law, Adolphe Desmet, he started up a new partnership a couple of years later. From 1864, the factory was called “Desmet-Guequier & Compagnie”.
Focus on cotton
In time, the factory specialised in cotton spinning and the weaving mill was shut down. The “Desmet-Guequier” factory was one of the smaller cotton spinning mills in Ghent. In early 1862, it employed 99 workers, who toiled between 7 and 11.5 hours a day. This was considerably less than in the other factories, because of high temporary unemployment in times of frosty weather.
Crisis in the cotton industry
The American Civil War (1861-1865) had dire consequences for the antiquated cotton industry in Ghent. The import of American raw materials ground to a halt, and so did the activity in several cotton mills. The financial troubles of “Desmet-Guequier” were in no way exceptional. It was only thanks to repeated financial injections by new financiers that the factory managed to survive.
Union Cotonnière
In 1914, eight Ghentcotton spinning mills merged into Union Cotonnière (UCO). A couple of years later, the “Desmet-Guequier” factory was also taken over. This period was marked by profound changes.
Wage conflict
In the 1950s, a serious wage conflict broke out. The three main trade unions staged massive demonstrations, with even the white-collar workers of the UCO plants joining in. However, it was all to no avail. In 1975, UCO decided to shut down the Oudevest plant and the building fell into disuse.
A modern Mancunian factory building
The factory managers needed buildings that were sturdy and fireproof. The “textile mill” was a new type of building that had been developed by the English textile sector. Exploitation and profitability criteria determined the size of the building, while improved building materials ensured optimal lighting conditions, stability and fire safety.
Sources: S. HUYSMAN. Filature Desmet-Guequier - 200 jaar textielgeschiedenis. in: Geschiedenis: zijn werk, zijn leven.