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Origin and history

The Kervilio tidal mill is a building located in Bono, Morbihan department, Brittany. Built in the early 19th century, it replaces an earlier mill mentioned in 1456. This flour mill, operated by the tides of the Gulf of Morbihan, consists of a granite building, a 90-metre dyke and two external hydraulic wheels. He also served as a miller's home and ceased his activity in 1960.

The current structure, dating from the 1st quarter of the 19th century, retains a partially redesigned structure in 1961, some of which dates back to the 15th century. The mill was equipped with three pairs of grinding wheels for rye, wheat, millet and animal feed. Two of these wheels were operated by the downstream wheel, located below the dike.

The Kervilio mill, originally called the Pontsal mill, was attached to the nearby Kervilio mansion. The whole — mill, mechanism and dyke — was inscribed in the historical monuments on 21 September 1987. This type of mill illustrates the adaptation of milling techniques to the geographical and maritime constraints of Brittany.

Before its reconstruction in the 19th century, the site was already home to a tidal mill, reflecting a thousand-year tradition of exploiting tidal energy in this region. The dyke, in rubble, now supports a road and bar a pond mixing fresh and salty waters, characteristic of such mills.

The cessation of milling activity in 1960 marked the end of an era for this mill, whose mechanism and structure were preserved thanks to its ranking. The structure of the 15th century, although redesigned, offers a rare example of architectural continuity between the Middle Ages and the modern era in Brittany.

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