Moulin à farine situé sur le cours de la rivière dénommée La Suisse

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

The history of the Bolliet flour mill, which has remained in the same family since the beginning of the 19th century, is a fairly recent history. The mill existed at the very beginning of the 19th century and was the property of Antoine Clerc who owned another mill on the Suisse, a river then called the Veryon. Millers of the same family succeeded each other for nearly 150 years. The last modernization of the mill dates from 1947 and professional activity ceased in 1979. The last miller was still making oil until his death in 1986. The installation of the flour mill and the oil mill remained in the same state until today and presents a stratification of equipment bearing witness to the evolution of techniques for the most part of the early and mid-20th century. It is a complete mill and in very good condition. It is representative of the rural mills still in operation in the second half of the 20th century. Moreover, it fully fits within a very long tradition of the use of hydraulic power in the commune of Cerdon. The copper works of the village is also registered as a historic monument bearing witness to the importance of water in the economic life of the village.

Description

The single building which houses the miller's dwelling and the mill offers only very limited architectural interest. With the exception of the wheel and the position of the building which overlooks the Suisse, nothing suggests that this is a mill. On the street side, the general appearance is that of a village house, only the imposing portal suggesting a commercial or agricultural activity. The ground is sloped and runs along the river, the building rests on a vaulted cellar to the east, partly excavated, and a vast garage whose portal is sufficiently high and wide to allow access to ploughs. Neighbouring the mill, the former bakery is adjoined to it, it is beneath its building that the forced pipe runs bringing water to the mill. The oil mill is located in the south-west part of the building, it is accessible by a wooden staircase from the flour mill part. It is also accessible from the street by the large portal. The millstone and its grinding have been reported but appear older than the flour mill equipment. Also remaining are the furnace and the Couineau press manufactured in Bourg-en-Bresse. The walnut trees, largely destroyed in the department in the second half of the 18th century, the walnuts ground in this mill were imported from Pays de Gex.