close
instagramfacebooktiktokyoutube

Roubaix, France

A day in Roubaix, our must-sees

11 February 2022

Just 30 minutes from Lille, Roubaix is recognized as a city of art and history. In the 19th century, Roubaix experienced its best years thanks to the textile industry during the Industrial Revolution. During our stay in Lille, we visited the Villa Cavrois and the La Piscine Museum: two iconic buildings of the city of Roubaix.

Cavrois Villa, an architectural manifesto

Villa Cavrois was built between 1929 and 1932. It was commissioned by Paul Cavrois from the architect Robert Mallet-Stevens. This reinforced concrete artwork is covered with yellow facing bricks and totals 1840m2 of living space. Enough to house Paul Cavrois' 7 children and service staff. Villa Cavrois represents a prime example of homogenous design between architecture, décor, furnishings and garden.

Villa Cavroix in Roubaix

How to get to the Villa Cavrois?

By transport from Lille city center: Take the Tram line to Roubaix Eurosport from Lille-Flandre and get off at Villa Cavrois. You have 1 km (± 15 minutes) to walk to the Villa Cavrois entrance.

By transport from La Piscine: Take the CIT5 bus at the Musée stop to Place du Travail (± 15 minutes). You have 1.8 km (± 25 minutes) to walk to the Villa Cavrois entrance.

The history of the Villa Cavrois

After its construction, the Villa Cavrois suffered damage from the German occupation during World War II. Renovated and expanded by the architect Pierre Barbe in 1947, and inhabited by the Cavrois family until 1986, it was finally sold in 1987 to a real estate company that wished to subdivide the park. Classified among the Historic Monuments in 1990, it was unfortunately not maintained and was the prey of numerous looters. It was purchased by the state in 2001 and entrusted to the National Monuments Center 7 years later. After 12 years of restoration work, it opened its doors to the public in 2015.

Villa Cavroix in Roubaix viewed from the water mirror
Villa Cavroix in Roubaix

The exterior of the Villa Cavrois

From the outside, the Villa Cavrois is a harmony of curves and geometric shapes covered in yellow bricks. At the top, a large terrace with its pergola is visible. At the foot of the house, the property's swimming pool. The gardens are mainly composed of green grass with a water feature in the center. Various geometrically designed paths wind around it.

Main entrance of the Villa Cavrois
Swimming pool of the Villa Cavrois in Roubaix
Gardens of the Villa Cavrois from the master bedroom
Terrace with pergola of the Villa Cavrois

The interior of the Villa Cavrois

Inside the Villa Cavrois, light plays an important role, interacting with the materials and furniture throughout the day. We recommend visiting on a sunny day to fully appreciate these interplay of shadows and light.

Dining room of the children of the Villa Cavrois
Dining room of the children
Dining room of the Cavrois Villa parents
Dining room of the parents

The furniture was also designed by Mallet-Stevens according to the utility of the rooms. It was sold at auction upon the death of Madame Cavrois. Only part of the original furniture could be found and presented in the various rooms of the Villa Cavrois.

Salon from the mezzanine to the Cavrois villa
Parent bedroom of the Cavrois Villa
Master bedroom
Parent bathroom of the Cavrois Villa
Parent bathroom

Practical Information

Opening Hours • Daily from 10am to 6pm. Closed on Mondays.

Prices • €9.50 for standard admission. Free for under 18s and EU residents under 25. Combined tickets available with La Piscine and La Manufacture. See their website for details.

Address • 60 Avenue Kennedy in Croix.

Website • www.villa-cavrois.fr

The Mallet-Stevens Gardens

The Mallet-Stevens Gardens are a small green haven near the Cavrois Villa. It is therefore no coincidence that they bear the name of the architect Mallet-Stevens who designed the famous Villa. In addition to a playground, a multi-purpose room and a theater, there are also 4 plots with very different themes: the wetlands area, the vegetable garden, the agricultural garden and the bee garden. The design of the Mallet-Stevens Gardens gives an important place to plant heritage, ecology, biodiversity and architecture. An unusual place to stroll outdoors before or after visiting the Villa.

View of wooden structure in the Mallet-Stevens gardens
wooden structure gardens mallet-stevens
wooden structure gardens mallet-stevens
Mallet-Stevens Gardens

Practical information

Opening Hours • Every day from 9:00 AM to 7:30 PM.

Address • 14 Winston Churchill Avenue in Croix.

Nocturne at La Piscine, André Diligent Museum of Art and Industry

The Swimming Pool or André Diligent Museum of Art and Industry represents composite collections of applied and fine arts assembled from the 19th century, including fabrics, decorative arts pieces, sculptures, paintings, and drawings. No real favourite on our part regarding the permanent exhibition.

Former Art Deco swimming pool transformed into a museum

 The architecture of the former swimming pool in Art Deco style, created by architect Albert Baert in 1932, is worth a visit in itself. Period recordings are broadcast at regular intervals, recreating the life that existed before the pool was converted into a museum.

The Swimming Pool Museum in Roubaix
The Swimming Pool Museum in Roubaix
The Swimming Pool Museum in Roubaix

How to get to La Piscine?

Transportation from Lille city center: Take metro line 2 towards Tourcoing C.H. Dron from Lille-Flandre and get off at Gare Jean Lebas. A 450m (± 5 minutes) walk remains to reach the entrance of La Piscine.

Transportation from Villa Cavrois: Walk 1.8km (± 25 minutes) to the Place du Travail stop and take the CIT5 bus to Musée (± 15 minutes).

Reproduction of the sculptor Henri Bouchard's workshop
The Swimming Pool Museum in Roubaix
Corridor of the museum La Piscine dark with sculptures in the background
glove of lace textile collection museum The Swimming Pool in Roubaix

Practical information

Opening Hours • Tuesday to Thursday from 11am to 6pm. Friday from 11am to 8pm. Saturday and Sunday from 1pm to 6pm. Closed on Mondays.

Prices • €9.50 for standard admission. Free for under 18s, on Friday evenings from 6pm to 8pm and the first Sunday of each month. Combined tickets available with the Villa Cavrois and the Manufacture. All information on their website.

Address • 23 Rue de l’Espérance in Roubaix.

Website • www.roubaix-lapiscine.com

But even more...

We spent only an afternoon and the end of the day in Roubaix. We were unable to visit all the other iconic places in the city. For our next visit, we will note the Factory, the Grand Bassin (nursery of young creators next to La Piscine), the Barbieux Park, the street art route, …

You can find all our good addresses and places to see on our Mapstr account (@lesexplorateursdumonde). Don't hesitate to follow us there! 😉

0 comment

loading

Les explorateurs du monde