Barbier, Benard, et Turenne (BBT) was a French company founded in 1862, specializing in the manufacture of spotlights,

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...

es for

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

s, and lighting systems. It was the world's leading producer of lighthouse beacons from the end of the 19th century onwards. It dissolved in 1982.

History

The company was founded in 1862 by Frederic Barbier and Stanislas Fenestre as Barbier and Fenestre. It was renamed Barbier et Cie in 1887 and Barbier and Bénard in 1889. It became Barbier, Benard, et Turenne early in the 20th century, and became a

public limited company A public limited company (legally abbreviated to PLC or plc) is a type of public company under United Kingdom company law, some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth jurisdictions, and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a limited liability co ...

in 1919.

École des Ponts ParisTech École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

, enpc.fr website,
/web-BBT.pdf "Barbier Benard Turenne (BBT), historical note"
Thobie, Jacques. '' Administration General beacons of the Ottoman Empire and the Collas and Michel society, 1860-1960 '' (L'Harmattan, 2004), p. 12.

Production

Lighthouses

Barbier, Benard, et Turenne began with a specialty in the production of equipment for lighthouse

beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

s, such as

es. It later expanded into production of beacons themselves, as well as rotation mechanisms. Eventually, the company manufactured buoys, metal towers, and fog sirens. BBT was soon able to build complete lighthouses, and became world renowned for it.Le Cunff, Louis. ''Sea Lights'' (Navy Anchor Press, 1992), p. 75 It was the world leader in the construction of lighthouses in the late 19th century. BBT used its expertise in optics, lighting, and construction to expand into other businesses, including stadium and airport floodlights and

streetlamp A street light, light pole, lamp pole, lamppost, streetlamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or path. Similar lights may be found on a railway platform. When urban electric power distribution b ...

s. It also

license A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

-produced

microscope A microscope () is a laboratory equipment, laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic ...

Locations

BBT's factories were located mainly near the Ourcq Canal in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Its

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

was also in Paris. It had facilities in Nazelles (

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.White Misseron (

Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...

). BBT had specialist plants for the production of gas for streetlamps, at

Sfax Sfax ( ; , ) is a major port city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has a ...

and

Marseilles Marseille (; ; see below) is a city in southern France, the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the Provence region, it is located on the coast of the Mediterranean S ...

.Website of the Ministry of Cultur
headlights / phares_gaz.htm "Major coastal lighthouses of France, technical and scientific objects and materials: gas systems"
/ref>

Dissolution

From the 1960s onwards, the industry sectors BBT had invested in began to decline in France. The company was eventually dissolved in 1982.

Notes

{{Authority control Manufacturing companies based in Paris 1982 disestablishments in France Lighthouse builders French companies established in 1862