First written entry 1454 (≈ 1454)
Documentary attestation of the existing mill.
1926
Site classification
Site classification 1926 (≈ 1926)
Landscape protection of the mill and its surroundings.
milieu du XIXe siècle
Adding steam machine
Adding steam machine milieu du XIXe siècle (≈ 1950)
Construction of a brick appentis.
26 janvier 1995
Registration Historic Monument
Registration Historic Monument 26 janvier 1995 (≈ 1995)
Protection of facades, roofs and residual mechanisms.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Fronts and roofs of the mill; appentis attached to the south gable, including the steam machine; remaining elements (in place or deposited) of the mill mechanism; pertuis located immediately upstream of the batteries (box F 689, 691, 747, 748): entry by order of 26 January 1995
Key figures
Information non disponible - No key character identified
The sources do not mention any owner or artisan specifically related to this mill.
Origin and history
The Muids mill, attested as early as 1454 but probably older, is a rare European example of a rolling wheel mill. This innovative system, shared with the Andé mill, made it possible to adapt the height of the wheel to variations in the level of the Seine. The present structure, in wooden strips based on two piles of pre-bec stone, dates mainly from the 17th and 18th centuries. Its wooden mechanism, now extinct (the wheel was still in place before the 1950s), included a moving frame to adjust the position of the wheel according to the flow of the river.
In the mid-19th century, a brick building was joined to the mill to house an auxiliary steam machine, still present today. This addition reflects the technological adaptations of the era to compensate for low water. The site, classified in 1926 for its heritage interest, was officially protected as a Historic Monument in 1995 as part of a theme dedicated to the hanging wheel mills. A wheel reconstruction project is currently under consideration.
Located on an arm of the Seine in Muids (Eure, Normandy), this mill testifies to the river industrial history of the region. Its architecture combines medieval (stone poles) and modern (steam machine), illustrating the evolution of milling techniques between the 17th and 19th centuries. The village of Muids, mentioned as early as the 12th century in various forms (Muies, Muyes), was a strategic place for river trade, as evidenced by local archives and preserved hydrolic remains.
The mill is inseparable from the local hydrographic network, marked by the Seine and its secondary arms. The municipality, exposed to a humid oceanic climate, has long used these resources for activities such as milling or extraction of aggregates (Gravière des Teurtres). The protection of the site is part of a desire to preserve a rare technical heritage, linked to the economic history of the Seine Valley.
