Construction of the estate and wind turbine 1880-1885 (≈ 1883)
Edited by Henri Avril, wind turbine Bollée.
vers 1940
Wind turbine stop
Wind turbine stop vers 1940 (≈ 1940)
End of operation.
3 mai 2012
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 3 mai 2012 (≈ 2012)
Protection of wind turbine and well.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
In total, the Bollée wind turbine, the well tower and all their mechanism (see AL 196): by order of 3 May 2012
Key figures
Henri Avril - Mayor of Pouant (1892-1906)
Domain sponsor and wind turbine.
Bollée - Design engineer
Creator of the wind turbine in 1885.
Origin and history
The estate of Puyraveau, located in Pouant in New Aquitaine, was constituted by Henri Avril, mayor of the commune from 1892 to 1906. The latter had various buildings built for a wine-growing operation between 1880 and 1885, including a Bollée type wind turbine, now listed as a Historic Monument. The steel cast iron wind turbine had a hollow cylindrical column held by steel bays, and a staircase decorated with a "pine apple" at its departure. It supplied a 6000-litre tank with water via a mechanical transmission system, including a well protected by a square turret. This mechanism ceased to function around 1940.
The estate also includes a master house with partially preserved decorative elements, as well as two adjoining gardens. One of them, equipped with a pond, canves and a rock cave, was fed by the wind turbine. The whole, including the wind turbine and the well tower with their mechanisms, was classified by order of 3 May 2012. The engineer Bollée, designer of the wind turbine, is associated with this remarkable industrial heritage, witness to the technical innovations of the late nineteenth century.
The approximate address of the estate is 3 Puyraveau, 86200 Pouant, in the Department of Vienna. Although some interior elements have been repainted or modified, the wind turbine and the well remain emblematic remnants of local agricultural and technical history. The location accuracy is considered "a priori satisfactory", with a score of 7/10 depending on available sources.
