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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Divers
  3. Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur
  4. Var
  5. 83690 Salernes

  6. Millery of Saint Barthélemy

Millery of Saint Barthélemy à Salernes dans le Var

Var

Millery of Saint Barthélemy

    2 Rue des Moulins
    83690 Salernes
Photo de Millery of Saint Barthélemy

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1880
Acquisition by Eugène Léotard Lébra
1928-1931
Processing into industrial milling
1955
Final closure
2018
Historical Monument
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The mill of Saint-Barthélemy in full, with all its machines, located rue des Moulins, on Parcel No.900 in the cadastre section AI, as delimited in red on the plan annexed to the decree: inscription by order of 22 October 2018.

Key figures

Eugène Léotard Lèbre - Owner and moderniser Acquiert and equipped the mills in 1880.
Fernand Lèbre - Transformer in industrial milling Directs the work from 1928 to 1931.
Teisset Rose Brault - Machinery supplier Specialized company having equipped the mill.

Origin and history

The mill of Saint-Barthélemy came into being in 1880, when Eugène Léotard Lébé, who already owned the Iscles mill in Salernes, acquired two traditional mills in the village: the middle mill and the lowest mill. It modernises them by installing turbines and machines, marking a first step towards mechanization. These mills, initially equipped with grinding wheels, operated thanks to the hydraulic force, typical of the pre-industrial installations of the region.

In 1928 his son Fernand Lébre undertook a radical transformation of the lowest mill, which had been closed recently. Work includes building elevation, construction of concrete elevators, and the addition of a metal bridge connecting the flour shop on the other side of the street. These improvements are designed to adapt the building to emerging industrial standards, with machinery commissioned by Teisset Rose Brault, a mill equipment specialist.

The mill reopens in 1931 with an increased production capacity (75 quintals per 24 hours, compared to 50 hours previously), thanks to the integration of innovative technologies such as grinders and planichters. These machines, which were widespread in France before the Second World War, allow for a finer and more competitive production of flour. The factory, of medium size, illustrates the transition between traditional milling crafts and industrialisation of the sector.

The operation ceased in 1955, and the milling right was purchased in 1963 by the Professional Fund of the Milling Industry. Shortly thereafter, the plant was disconnected from the channel that supplied hydraulic power. Since its closure, the mill has remained intact, keeping all its machines on three levels. This exceptional state of preservation makes it a rare testimony of the mechanized processes of flour manufacture in the twentieth century.

Classified as a Historic Monument in 2018, the mill of Saint-Barthélemy includes in its protection the entire building, its machinery, and its exterior fittings (silos, bridge). Its hybrid architecture, combining ancient structure and industrial extensions, reflects the successive adaptations of a production site to the economic requirements of its time.

External links

Page Monumentum