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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The windmill of Bel-Air, classified as a Historical Monument, finds its origins in the first half of the seventeenth century, as evidenced by architectural details such as the shape of the aisselier and the moulding of the cornel post. Originally installed on the hillside of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, it was dismantled around 1860 and rebuilt at its current location, instead of Malicorn in Guilly. This type of mill, said on pivot or candlestick, represents the oldest and most common model in Beauce, characterized by a moving wooden structure.

In the 19th century, the mill was equipped with wooden wings and operated with a complex mechanism, including two pairs of wheels of different diameters (210 cm and 150 cm), spindle lanterns, and a 16-faced motor shaft with the Berton system. This system allowed the wing opening to be adjusted during rotation. The mill had two levels: a lower floor with the pivot and the bluterie, and an upper floor accessible by an interior staircase, housing the milling mechanisms.

The mill's activity probably ceased in 1914, when millers were required by law to dismantle the blutery, prohibiting them from producing bread-making flour. Today, the mill cage, partially collapsed, rests on a stone sole. Original elements remain, such as a wooden poplar brake blade vestige and its lever. The mill, registered with the Historical Monuments in 1987 (amended in 1996), originally belonged to the Hameau de Bouteille site before its transfer.

Owned by the municipality of Guilly, this mill illustrates the ingenuity of traditional milling techniques and the rural heritage of the Beauce. Its current location, at the 19 Chemin Malicorne, makes it a rare testimony of moving windmills, once essential to the local economy.

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