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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Rimaison Mill is a water mill built in 1556 to order by Michel de Rimaison, local lord, to produce flour. Situated on the Blavet near the eponymous hamlet, it illustrates the utilitarian architecture of the Breton Renaissance, with its shale and granite walls, its roof initially in thatch replaced by l ́ardoise circa 1920, and its sculpted sculpted lucarns in italianist style. The mill, combined with a complex hydraulic system, functioned until the 1960s, marked by adaptations such as the dam of 1862 to counter the river pipe.

Declared national at the time of the Revolution, the mill was sold in 1799 to the Poullic family, local millers. Its 19th century mechanism, including wheels, transmissions and grinding wheels, remained partially intact. A miller's home, built in the 19th century, was complete. The site, which once consisted of a second mill now gone, was classified as a historical monument in 1994 for its architectural and technical interest, despite the cessation of its milling activity in the 1960s.

The inscription engraved with the west gable, "Noble Hom(me) Michel seigneur de Rimaison et du Trest made me remake lan 1556", attests to his seigneurial origin. Subsequent modifications, such as the destruction of a nearby bridge in 1845 to repair the mill floor, reflect its adaptation to economic and hydraulic needs. The preserved technical elements, such as the formwork and the wheel tray, as well as the adorned windows, justify its heritage protection.

The Rimaison mill is part of a landscape marked by the Blavet, a major waterway in Brittany. Its location close to Rimaison Castle and the towns of Bieuzy and Pluméliau underscores its central role in the local economy, linked to the production of flour and the management of water resources. Its classification in 1994 preserved a rare example of a seigneurial mill with careful architecture, despite the transformations associated with 19th century industrialisation.

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