Construction of dam 1841 (≈ 1841)
Directed by Camille Bailloud in the Cher's development project.
1852
Water traffic peak
Water traffic peak 1852 (≈ 1852)
67 000 tons of goods pass through the Cher.
1894
Radar consolidation
Radar consolidation 1894 (≈ 1894)
Strengthening the concrete structure of the dam.
1957
End of commercial navigation
End of commercial navigation 1957 (≈ 1957)
The Cher is downgraded as a waterway.
1996-1997
Restoration of lock doors
Restoration of lock doors 1996-1997 (≈ 1997)
Similar reproduction of wooden doors.
7 juillet 2011
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 7 juillet 2011 (≈ 2011)
Registration by decree for preservation of the heritage.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The following parts of the mobile needle dam, located at the limit of the communes of Athée-sur-Cher and Saint-Martin-le-Beau, as well as the constructions connected to it, namely: the mobile needle dam; the side lock; the double house of the locker and the barrister; the needle shop; West dependency; Parcels YA 16, 17 and 18, including the haulage road and the piers (Mobile dam and lock not cadastralized, located on the Cher canalized and adjacent at each end to the south, Parcel YA 17 of the commune of Athee-sur-Cher and in the north, Parcel ZC 133 of the commune of Saint-Martin-le-Beau; lock house, needle shop and west outbuilding: cad YA 17): registration by order of 7 July 2011
Key figures
Charles Antoine Poirée - Engineer
Manufacturer of the needle dam system.
Camille Bailloud - Chief Engineer
Directed the construction of the dam in 1841.
Origin and history
The Nitray Dam, built on the Cher between Atheus-sur-Cher and Saint-Martin-le-Beau (Indre-et-Loire), is a hydraulic structure built in 1841 as part of a river development project to make the Cher navigable between Montluçon and Tours. It is part of a series of sixteen needle dams designed by engineer Charles Antoine Poirée and realized under the direction of Camille Bailloud. These dams, combining metal clasps and wood needles, allowed to regulate the river flow to maintain a navigable depth, while scamoting during floods.
The Nitray site, already equipped with a mill certified since the 16th century and a previous boat pertuis, became a key point of river transport in the 19th century. In 1852, nearly 67,000 tons of goods passed through the Cher, but railway competition reduced this traffic to 20,000 tons in 1875. Despite the decline in trade, the dam was consolidated in 1894, and the Cher remained partially used for recreational navigation after its official decommissioning in 1957. The concrete radiator and the wooden doors of the lock were restored to the same style in 1997.
The Nitray Dam, with its 35 m long side lock, its lock house (with two housing units and a bread oven), and its needle shop, illustrates a 19th century hydraulic architecture. Unlike other Cher dams, its lock is located on the left bank due to the local topography and the historic presence of the mill on the right bank. The site, listed as a historic monument in 2011, also maintains a model explaining its operation.
Although the needle dams, which were difficult to manoeuvre and poorly adapted to flow variations, were almost replaced by mechanized systems in the 1990s, Nitray's was preserved for its technical heritage. Today it bears witness to the 19th century river engineering and the economic history of the Touraine, linked to the transport of goods before the railway era. The adjacent mill, always present, recalls the site's multisacular hydraulic uses.
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