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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Moulin de Pierre in Hauville, mentioned in 1258, was built by the monks of the Abbey of Jumièges on an estate called "the Court of Abbees". This windmill of the mill-turn type, built of stone with alternate seats of flint and limestone, belonged to the abbey until the French Revolution. Sold as a national good in 1796, its two-storey cylindrical structure housed a complex mechanism: two-metre-diameter grinding wheels, hardwood gears (cormier), and a bent roof to capture the wind. Its activity declined after 1860, and it fell into ruin in the 20th century, keeping only its tower.

In 1979, the mill was included in the Inventory of Historic Monuments, then restored between 1984 and 1985 by the Brotonne Regional Natural Park. The works restored its roof, its wings, and its internal mechanism (horizontal shaft, wheel, lantern), giving life to this exceptional witness of the Norman mill. A New Normandy Meunier House, rebuilt in 1992 with local demolition materials, completes the site. Today, the mill functions as a workshop-museum, illustrating the traditional milling techniques, with a capacity of 200 kg of wheat per hour depending on the strength of the wind.

The archives reveal a history rich in leases and repairs during the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1704, a first nine-year lease was granted to Robert Bocquier, followed by renewals until 1775, where Louis Duhamel obtained a 99-year emphyteotic lease. The accounts of the period detail regular repairs: replacement of cabestan (orientation system), large iron (vertical axis), or wing sails. The mill, represented on a plan of 1748, still employed a miller in 1845, before its permanent abandonment after 1870. Archaeological excavations in the 1980s confirmed the existence of a first wooden mill, destroyed during the Hundred Years' War and rebuilt in stone in the 16th century.

The site is part of the Bread Wheat Road, a natural park heritage trail including the Haye-de-Routot bread oven. Nearby, the leisure area of the Moulin de Pierre offers sports and relaxation facilities, while local festivals, such as the Fête du Moulin et des Asnes (mid-June), celebrate this heritage. A unique functional windmill in Normandy, it symbolizes the ingenuity of pre-industrial techniques and the link between Jumièges Abbey and the rural communities of Roumois.

The restoration of the mill was financed by the State (40%), the region (30%), and the Ministry of the Environment (20%), at a total cost of 400,000 francs. The mobilized artisans included André Croix (carpente), Michel Catherine (chaume), and Jean-Pierre Masquelier (girouette). In 2010, a new campaign replaced worn wings and mechanisms. The mill, a private property leased from the nature park, now hosts milling demonstrations and exhibitions on the history of Norman mills, perpetuating ancestral know-how.

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