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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Kerlan Mill, located in Sibiril, Brittany, is an alleged 17th-century historical monument, although its architecture seems earlier. It is linked to a 16th century mansion whose name it retains. Its structure, marked by foothills typical of Finistère and granite walls, contrasts with the chronogram of 1765 which is engraved there. This mill, with a rectangular plane, was equipped with a vertical wheel of 5.50 meters in diameter, operating two turns, one of which was used to grind the black wheat.

His sobriety and robustness were hailed by travelling writers such as Flaubert and Daudet. After stopping in 1905, the wheel was dismantled, but texts attest to its operation with two distinct mechanisms. The mill, classified as Monument Historic in 1968, embodies the ingenuity of the Breton mills and their central role in the local economy.

The site, now protected, retains traces of its industrial past, although its internal mechanisms have disappeared. Its architecture, in fast-sealed granite block, reflects local construction techniques. The Kerlan mill remains a rare testimony of two-turned mills in Brittany, emphasizing the adaptation of milling techniques to the agricultural needs of the time.

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