Before, ‘les Goudes’ used to be a small port and industrial site. The very first factory was built in 1804, it occupied the whole bottom part of the Goudes cove and artificial soda was made from sulphuric acid. Then in 1854, a lead factory with 18 workers started up. The choice was made to install the factory in the village because of its low-density population at that time.
In 1875, the industrial potential was such that it was planned to serve ‘Les Goudes’ by a railroad. The line would have been 10 km long and would have included five stops: Prado, Sainte Anne, ‘chateau Borély’ (Borely castle), ‘Montredon’ and ‘les Goudes’. In the end, a tramway line was all that was needed and in 1891 its final stop was established at the ‘Madrague de Montredon’. The lead sector experienced a crisis at the end of the 1870s and in 1879 the Goudes factory was destroyed. In addition to its industrial past, this district also has military remains such as the Goudes fort built in the 19th century.
Thanks to the tramway, the hamlet of ‘les Goudes’ and the city centre became closer to each other and some boaters build very basic houses which quickly took the name of “cabanons”. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 21st century, this area was inhabited by the workers. On Sundays, people from the “city centre” would come here, as Massilia Sound System says in its song “Dimanche aux Goudes”.
