Construction of mill 1862 (≈ 1862)
Built by Armand Deleon with Berton system.
1873
Construction of housing house
Construction of housing house 1873 (≈ 1873)
Accelerated to the mass, by Armand Deleon.
1922
End of wind energy use
End of wind energy use 1922 (≈ 1922)
Wind shutdown.
3 juillet 1975
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 3 juillet 1975 (≈ 1975)
Official protection of the mill.
1978
First restoration
First restoration 1978 (≈ 1978)
Major conservation work.
début des années 2000
Complementary work
Complementary work début des années 2000 (≈ 2000)
Structural improvements.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Moulin de Bourgdion or de la Forêt (Box ZC 72): inscription by order of 3 July 1975
Key figures
Armand Deléon - Meunier and manufacturer
Built the mill (1862) and the house (1873).
Joseph Deléon - Meunier, father of Armand
Predecessor in the profession.
Origin and history
The mill of Bourgdion is a pivot-mounted cavier mill located in Saint-Rémy-la-Varenne, in the department of Maine-et-Loire (Pays de la Loire). Built in the 2nd quarter of the 19th century, it is distinguished by its imposing structure, including a mass (or cellar) not buried reinforced by five vaulted rooms. Its mechanism, with four wings and a Berton system for automated wing opening, enabled it to operate two pairs of wheels. The house part, joined to the mass, was built in 1873 by the miller Armand Deléon, also builder of the mill in 1862.
The mill operated with wind energy until 1922, before being briefly reactivated mechanically during the Second World War. Today it retains a large part of its original elements: hicherolle, wing frames, wheels, and mechanical parts (wheel, rocket, hedgehog). Since 3 July 1975, it has enjoyed restorations in 1978 and the early 2000s. Its country stone and tuffeau construction, typical of Anjou, as well as its cover in local slates, make it a remarkable testimony of the regional milling heritage.
The Berton system, innovative for the time, allowed mechanical regulation of the wing, optimizing production. The mill thus illustrates the technological evolution of windmills in the 19th century, while reflecting the central role of windmills in the rural economy. The departmental archives (3P5-332-7) confirm its history related to the Deleon family, millers from father to son, and its anchoring in the angeline landscape.
Today, although out of service, the Bourgdion mill remains a preserved example of milling architecture, with its stone mass and its five vaulted rooms, rare features in the region. Its designation as historic monuments underscores its heritage value, both for its state of conservation and for its pioneering technical system. The exact location, at the Bassinière on the road of the Haut Bourg Dion, makes it a point of interest for the industrial and rural history of the Pays de la Loire.
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