Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saulaie Mill is a round tower windmill, built in shale and slate, located at the exit of Candé (Maine-et-Loire). It is part of the estate of La Saulaie Castle and overlooks a rocky eminence. Disused and in poor condition, it preserves part of its Berton wooden wings and its mechanical tree, as well as a wooden guivre allowing to orient the roof from the ground.

Mentioned from 1437 under the name of tertre de Rochentmelle, the present mill probably dates from the 17th or 18th century. It was raised by two meters in 1865 to accommodate Berton wings, an angeline innovation allowing a mechanical opening from inside. Unlike other mills in the region, it retained its directional guivre, replaced elsewhere by mechanical systems in the 19th century.

The mill has been listed as a historical monument since May 27, 1975. It bears witness to the milling history of Anjou, where 17 mills (including 8 windmills) existed in the present territory of Candé. Its current state reflects its progressive abandonment, with a immobilized cap and empty floors of mechanisms.

The site is linked to the castle of La Saulaie, mentioned from the 14th century and redesigned in the 17th and 19th centuries. The mill, originally attached to the parish of Freigné, was incorporated in Candé in 1955 during a communal redistribution. Its strategic location, near the Freigné road and the Ocean Gate, highlights its historic role in the local economy.

Berton's wings, installed in 1865, marked a major technical evolution: their automatic opening system increased the height of the mills to capture stronger winds. This mill thus illustrates the transition between artisanal (woody) techniques and industrial innovations of the 19th century.

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