Acquisition of mill 1821 (≈ 1821)
Purchase by the city of Niort.
29 septembre 1821
Laying the first stone
Laying the first stone 29 septembre 1821 (≈ 1821)
Construction of the building begins.
1830-1831
Creation of the tank
Creation of the tank 1830-1831 (≈ 1831)
Rue du Vivier, open air.
1857
Construction of second plant
Construction of second plant 1857 (≈ 1857)
Steam machines installed by J. Cordier.
1876
Upgrading of turbines
Upgrading of turbines 1876 (≈ 1876)
Four lift pumps added by G. Durand.
29 décembre 2015
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 29 décembre 2015 (≈ 2015)
Total protection of buildings and machinery.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The pumping station of the Pissot, in all of the two buildings, as well as all the machinery they contain and the old hydraulic system present under plots CD 13, 171, 311 : inscription by order of 29 December 2015
Key figures
Paul-François Proust - Mayor of Niort
Initiator of the second factory in 1857.
J. Cordier - Engineer
Manufacturer of the 1857 factory.
G. Durand - Engineer and architect
Upgraded the turbines in 1876.
Origin and history
The Pissot pumping station originated in the acquisition in February 1821 of the Pissot Mill by the city of Niort. The aim was to improve the city's water supply. The first stone of the hydraulic wheel building was laid on 29 September 1821, and the system became operational a year later. In 1830-1831, an open-air reservoir was dug on Rue du Vivier, then vaulted in 1841 and enlarged in 1878, marking the first extensions of the device.
In 1857, a second factory was built nearby under the direction of engineer J. Cordier, on the initiative of Mayor Paul-François Proust, a former polytechnician. This project includes a 568-metre aqueduct and installation of two 20-horsepower steam engines capable of raising 3,000 m3 of water per day. The modernization continued in 1876 with the replacement of the hydraulic wheel by two turbines operating four lift pumps, designed by engineer G. Durand and installed by the company Féray and Cie (Corbeil-Essonnes). Durand also supervised the construction of the engineer's house.
Together, including the two buildings, the machinery and the hydraulic system under plots CD 13, 171 and 311, was classified as Historic Monument by order of 29 December 2015. Owned by Niort, the station illustrates the technical evolution of water supply networks in the 19th century, mixing industrial heritage and hydraulic innovations. The approximate location, 1 Chemin du Pissot, reflects its anchoring in the Niortian landscape, although its geographical accuracy is considered mediocre (note 5/10).
