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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Écuelle mill, located in Saint-Dyé-sur-Loire, is a windmill built in the first half of the 19th century, more precisely around 1818 according to the sources. This historic monument is distinguished by its atypical architecture: the miller's house, backed by the hillside, supports directly the cone of the mill. The latter, although without its hicherolle and mechanism since the 1920s, retains a remarkable internal structure, consisting of horizontal and oblique beams, as well as a hollow central pivot designed to house the vertical axis of the mechanism. The mill would have operated until 1905, marking almost a century of milling activity in the region.

The layout of the site reveals a harmonious integration between structure and natural relief. The hillside was dug to accommodate the base of the cone, while a brick arch in the middle of the hanger allows the transition between the troglodytic part and the miller's house. This architectural passage highlights the ingenuity of the builders to adapt the mill to its environment. The cone, although partially preserved, bears witness to the construction techniques of the period, with a wooden frame embedded in the masonry, typical of windmills of the early nineteenth century.

The ECU mill was entered in the inventory of Historical Monuments by order of 13 January 1992. This protection concerns not only the cone and vestiges of the mechanism, but also related elements such as an open room on the millroom, now used as a garage, as well as an external staircase leading to a terrace. These architectural and historical details bear witness to the industrial and rural heritage of the Centre-Val de Loire region, reflecting the importance of mills in the local economy before their decline in the early 20th century.

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