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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

La machine et grate de Crécy-Couvé, located in the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region, dates from the 3rd quarter of the 18th century. This historic monument is a vestige of a hydraulic system designed to supply water to the village gardens, reorganized between 1750 and 1754 by the Marquise de Pompadour, who had received the estate as a gift from Louis XV. The ensemble was enlarged by architect Cailleteau dit Laassurance, while the gardens were transformed by Garnier d'Isle.

The machine, invented in 1751 by physicist Antoine Deparcieux, allowed to climb the water from the Blaise River to the gardens located in height. Today, only dispersed, often underground, masonry elements remain, such as the damenée canal, its masonry banks and a tunnel that once housed a bucket chain. The central castle, demolished at the end of the 18th century, disappeared, but the wrought iron gate of the 18th century, from the old castle of Aunay, was preserved.

Protected elements include the canal, tunnel, grid and masonry pillars. These remains, inscribed in the Historical Monuments by decree of 30 November 1992, recall the technical ingenuity of the period and the role of the Marquise de Pompadour in the development of the estate. The current location, at 13 Bis Chemin de la Fontaine au Roy, remains approximate, with cartographic accuracy considered fair.

The hydraulic system illustrates the scientific advances of the Enlightenment century, while the wrought iron grid reflects the craftsmanship of the era. These elements, though fragmentary, offer a material testimony of the landscape and architectural transformations orchestrated by the French aristocracy during the reign of Louis XV.

The Marquise de Pompadour, the central figure of this project, marked local history by modernising the village and its infrastructure. His intervention, combined with the expertise of Antoine Deparcieux, allowed the realization of a remarkable technical work, now partially preserved despite the disappearance of the main castle.

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