Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Moulin de La Roche, located in Fontenay-le-Comte in Vendée, has its origins in the Middle Ages. A charter of 1190 signed by Richard Cœur de Lion already mentions a mill at this location, then linked to a monastery dedicated to Saint Andrew. This mill, originally part of the Pasty fief, was sold in 1796 to François Bonnaud by Charles-Zacharie Pichard. He underwent several changes of ownership before becoming a modern mill.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the mill underwent major modernizations. In 1928, a centripetal turbine manufactured by TRB was installed, gradually replacing the old wheels. In 1933, a 45 horsepower Duvant diesel engine replaced the gas engine. However, on September 25, 1935, a fire ravaged the mill, sparing only the miller's house. A modern mill is then rebuilt on its site, with a concrete and wood frame, and new equipment allowing a production of 220 quintals in 24 hours.

The mill operates until 1963, when a breach in the road permanently interrupted turbine activity. After the death of Michel Guillon, his wife and their four children took over the business. In 1979, their son Jacques took over until his retirement in 1992. In the absence of a successor, activity ceased, but Jacques Guillon preserved the machines, considered an important industrial heritage. Despite attempts to convert tourism from 1997, the mill was registered and then removed from historical monuments (2003-2011) before being destroyed in 2013.

The Moulin de La Roche is an exceptional witness to the industrial architecture of the inter-war period. Its reconstruction in 1935, after the fire, incorporates modern techniques for the time, such as concrete frame and high-performance machines. Although its activity ceased and was finally demolished, it illustrates the evolution of traditional mills into industrial mills in the 20th century.

External links