Once upon a time, it was a brick and tile factory…
In 1437, three Italian craftsmen were given the authorisation by the town of Morges to build a clay tile and brick factory on the west bank of the Bief river. Fifty years later, a second brick factory was built on the east bank...
The tile factories "tuilières" of Lonay and Préverenges were located on each side of the Bief river, situated on a large clay deposit. Thanks to this strategic location, the clay deposit was mined for 5 centuries. Water was taken from the river and the wood needed to warm to ovens from the surrounding forests. Transportation networks were setup using boats and trains.
During the XIXth century, the Préverenges factory became heavily automated and 1902 saw the construction of a 41 m high chimney which dominated five adjacent buildings. In 1907 the lack of raw materials and quality issues due to high calcareous content of the clay forced both tuillières to cease their activities, a page in history was turned.