Construction of the castle of Roueyre 1887 (≈ 1887)
Area requiring a water wind turbine.
1898
Wind turbine erection Bollée
Wind turbine erection Bollée 1898 (≈ 1898)
Made in Le Mans, installed at Forty.
1972
Final judgment of the wind turbine
Final judgment of the wind turbine 1972 (≈ 1972)
Lack of regular maintenance.
29 avril 1987
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 29 avril 1987 (≈ 1987)
Protection of wind turbines and their devices.
4e quart XIXe siècle - 1er quart XXe siècle
Construction period
Construction period 4e quart XIXe siècle - 1er quart XXe siècle (≈ 1987)
Dating according to Monumentum.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Auguste Bollée - Engineer and builder
Manufacturer of wind turbine and contractor.
Famille d’Andoque - Owner of the domain
Commander of the castle and wind turbine.
Louis Garros - Bordeaux architect
Author of the castle of Roueyre.
Origin and history
The Bollée of Forty was designed in 1898 by the engineer Auguste Bollée, from Le Mans, to meet the water needs of the Roueïre estate, owned by the Andoque family. This castle, inspired by English manors and built in 1887 by architect Louis Garros, required a powerful system to irrigate its crops (vignes, olive trees) and feed its buildings. The wind turbine, manufactured at Le Mans and then assembled on site, combines a double row turbine with a 23-metre-high cast iron column, supported by eight steel bays.
The operation of the wind turbine is based on an innovative system for the time: a fixed stator channels the wind to a mobile rotor, optimizing energy recovery. This mechanism, patented in 1868, prefigures modern turbines. Energy operates a pump located in an adjacent building, covered with varnished tiles, which draws water from the basement. A platform at the top of the column, accessible by a spiral staircase without counter-steps, allows the maintenance of blades and wheels. The cardinal points are indicated in cast iron on the guardrail.
The wind turbine ceased to function in 1972, for lack of maintenance, but was protected in 1987 by an additional listing of historic monuments. Its architecture combines industrial and aesthetic utility, with worked details such as the summital girouette or the haubans anchored in concrete blocks. It shows the ingenuity of the technical solutions developed at the end of the 19th century for agricultural estates, while marking the landscape of Forty, in western Herault.
The area of Rouey, for which the wind turbine was built, reflects the ambitions of a rural bourgeoisie of the time, mixing eclectic architectural influences and technical modernity. Bollée, with its 23 meters high, remains a rare and preserved example of this industrial heritage, today property shared between the municipality of Forty and a private company. Its mechanism, although deactivated, retains intact its symbolic potential as a pioneer of renewable energy.
