Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The water tower of the port of Aval, in Amiens, is a hydraulic building built in the middle of the eighteenth century to meet the city's growing need for drinking water. At that time, medieval wells were no longer sufficient to feed the population, artisanal activities and fire risks. Intendant Jacques-Bernard Chauvelin, who was in office from 1731 to 1751, launched an ambitious project including this water castle and public fountains, marking a desire for beautification and urban modernization.

In 1749, a "Memoir on the establishment of public fountains" was published by Father Féry, professor of mathematics at Reims, at the request of the Mayor of Amiens. This technical document lays the foundations of the project, which will then be evaluated by experts such as Jean Sirebeau, a Parisian fontainerier, and Bernard Forest de Bélidor, a military engineer specializing in hydraulic architecture. The project selected was that of Jean-Jacques Jumel-Riquier, entrepreneur and gardener-fontainer Amienois, whose plans were approved in 1751.

The building was awarded to Simon Duprat in February 1751, while the facades, initially more decorated, were simplified by architect Mathurin Le Carpentier. The hydraulic system rests on a 27-metre-high water column, powered by a wheel, but proved ineffective during droughts, such as that of 1779. In the 19th century, modernizations were introduced, including the installation in 1865 of a Sagebien wheel, a steam system designed by an Amien engineer, before its final dismantling in 1937 for the benefit of the Saint-Michel plant.

The square, limestone building features a facade decorated with water-like motifs, such as a shell-shaped central niche. Inside, the remains of the hydraulic system make it possible to understand its past operation. Ranked a historic monument in 2017, it now houses Amiens Métropole's water service and reflects the evolution of urban water management techniques.

The importance of this water castle goes beyond its practical usefulness: it embodies municipal pride for an innovative technical achievement, as the historian Dominique Massounie points out. Its history also reflects the challenges of the time, between the cost of infrastructure, the shortage of water and the search for sustainable solutions, in a city that was growing demographically and economically.

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