The firm of Fisse, Thirion, and Co. succeeded that of Fisse, Fraiquin, and Co.—established originally at Reims in 1821—in 1864, when the brand of the house was already well known on the Continent, more especially in Belgium and Holland. Since that time the wines have been largely introduced into England and the United States, and the firm, who have secured medals at many of the recent exhibitions, to-day have agents in the English and Dutch Indies and the various European settlements in China. Several descriptions of wine are shipped by the house, the finest being their dry Cuvée Reservèe and their fragrant soft-tasting Cachet d’Or.
OLD HOUSE IN THE RUE DES ANGLAIS, REIMS.
[ IX.—The Reims Establishments (concluded).]
La Prison de Bonne Semaine—Mary Queen of Scots at Reims—Messrs. Pommery and Greno’s Offices—A Fine Collection of Faïence—The Rue des Anglais a former Refuge of English Catholics—Remains of the Old University of Reims—Ancient Roman Tower and Curious Grotto—The handsome Castellated Pommery Establishment—The Spacious Cellier and Huge Carved Cuvée Tun—The Descent to the Cellars—Their Great Extent—These Lofty Subterranean Chambers Originally Quarries—Ancient Places of Refuge of the Early Christians and the Protestants—Madame Pommery’s Splendid Cuvée of 1868—Messrs. de St. Marceaux and Co.’s New Establishment in the Avenue de Sillery—Its Garden-Court and Circular Shaft—Animated Scene in the Large Packing Hall—Lowering Bottled Wine to the Cellars—Great Depth and Extent of these Cellars—Messrs. de St. Marceaux and Co.’s Various Wines.
Nigh the cathedral of Reims and in the rear of the archiepiscopal palace there runs a short narrow street known as the Rue
Vauthier le Noir, and frequently mentioned in old works relating to the capital of the Champagne. The discovery of various pillars and statues, together with a handsome Gallo-Roman altar, whilst digging some foundations in 1837, points to the fact that a Pagan temple formerly occupied the site. The street is supposed to have taken its name, however, from some celebrated gaoler, for in mediæval times here stood “la prison de bonne semaine.” On the site of this prison a château was subsequently built where Mary Queen of Scots is said to have resided in the days when her uncle, Cardinal Charles de Lorraine, was Lord Archbishop of Reims. Temple, prison, and palace have alike disappeared, and where they stood there now rises midway between court and garden a handsome mansion, the residence of Madame Pommery, head of the well-known firm of Pommery and Greno. To the left of the courtyard, which is entered through a monumental gateway, are some old buildings bearing the sculptured escutcheon of the beautiful and luckless Stuart Queen, while to the right are the offices, with the manager’s sanctum, replete with artistic curiosities, the walls being completely covered with remarkable specimens of faïence, including Rouen, Gien, Palissy, Delft, and majolica, collected in the majority of instances by Madame Pommery in the villages around Reims. Here we were received by M. Vasnier, who at once volunteered to accompany us to the cellars of the firm outside the city. Messrs. Pommery and Greno originally carried on business in the Rue Vauthier le Noir, where there are extensive cellars, but their rapidly-increasing connection long since compelled them to emigrate beyond the walls of Reims.
In close proximity to the Rue Vauthier le Noir is the Rue des Anglais, so named from the English Catholic refugees who, flying from the persecutions of our so-called Good Queen Bess, here took up their abode and established a college and a seminary. They rapidly acquired great influence in Reims, and one of their number, William Gifford, was even elected archbishop. At the end of this street, nigh to Madame Pommery’s, there stands an old house with a corner tower and rather handsome
Renaissance window, which formerly belonged to some of the clergy of the cathedral, and subsequently became the “Bureau Général de la Loterie de France,” abolished by the National Convention in 1793.