Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Moulin de La Roque, located one kilometre southeast of the town of Marcillac-Vallon, is fed by the Creneau waters. This site includes several buildings that have evolved over the centuries to meet the technological needs and activities of millers, who were also farmers and winemakers. The Marcillac valley, close to Rodez, has been known for its favourable climate for viticulture since the Middle Ages, attracting wealthy families from the region who built residences and farms there. Parcel 383, located between the river and the canals, includes the "pastus", a grain mill with logis, a nut oil mill, a barn- barn and an oven. The other two houses and their outbuildings, on plot 384, appear on the cadastre of 1812 but not on the current one.

Local archives mention mills on the Créneau from the beginning of the 13th century, such as the Conte mill, documented in 1216, 1317 and 1323. The La Roque mill could date from the same period. One of the houses of plot 384, on three levels, dates back to the 14th century, while the grain mill, with its characteristic scallops and openings, dates back to the early 16th century. The ecus on the facades, although not dated precisely, evoke the seventeenth century. The second house, partially rebuilt at the beginning of the 19th century, preserves elements of the 16th century, such as chimneys and crosses.

The more recent walnut oil mill maintains its technical facilities in working order. The grain mill, with its three wheels and intact mechanisms, was adapted in the early twentieth century with the addition of a turbine to produce electricity. A notarial act of 1669 revealed that Louys Thomas was then the miller ("musnier"). His daughter, Marie-Thérèse, married François Perié in 1706, a farmer who had become a miller, allowing the Périe family to become owner of the mill. The site, registered with the Historical Monuments in 2025, includes mills, their mechanisms, hydraulic equipment, as well as houses and their outbuildings.

The cadastre of 1564 already lists the mill of La Roque among four other mills on the Créneau. This site illustrates the importance of watermills in the local economy, especially to feed a growing population from the twelfth century onwards. The buildings, organized around the canals of drive and escape, reflect an architecture adapted to agricultural and craft activities, with quality houses and preserved technical facilities.

External links