Moulin à vent de la Garde
MonumentHidden Treasure
Moulin à vent de la Garde, located in Avrillé (Maine-et-Loire), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Avrillé, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.5094, -0.5837
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00108955
Cavier à massereau unique en Anjou, le Moulin de la Garde se distingue par sa tour de schiste et sa singulière charpente ardoisée, témoin vivant de la meunerie angevine du XVIIe siècle.
History
Standing on the heights of Avrillé on the outskirts of Angers, the Moulin à vent de la Garde belongs to that rare family of mill-caviers, whose squat silhouette and cylindrical base evoke an art of building deeply rooted in Anjou tradition. Far from the slender tower mills you'd expect to see in Flanders or Provence, this massereau windmill embodies the vernacular ingenuity of the Loire region, where local schist stone meets wood and slate in a sober, functional harmony. What radically distinguishes the Moulin de la Garde from its cousins in Anjou is the nature of its massereau: whereas most caviers erect their upper part in solid masonry, this one entrusts the task of supporting the foot of the mill to a wooden framework covered in slate. This construction solution, which is both light and robust, gives the whole structure an almost hybrid appearance, halfway between stone architecture and the carpentry tradition of the Loire Valley. The interior has its own surprises in store: the cylindrical base, around four metres high, houses the cellar where the millstones, the beating heart of the milling industry, once rested. The "hucherolle", the wooden cage housing the corner transmission and the drive shaft, was completely restored in 1981 as part of a meticulous project that included the return of the turning wings, known as "Berton wings", typical of Anjou mills. To visit the Moulin de la Garde is to enter a world where the wind has dictated its law for centuries. You can see the patient genius of the millers who, generation after generation, have adjusted the angle of the wings to the Anjou winds, grinding the grain from the surrounding land to feed the nearby town of Angers. The rural setting of Avrillé, now part of the Anjou urban area, still preserves a gentle, undulating bocage atmosphere around the mill that makes for a particularly soothing visit.
Architecture
The Moulin de la Garde belongs to the moulin-cavier family, a type specific to western France and particularly widespread in Anjou. Its shape is very different from that of a traditional tower mill: the cylindrical main body is around four metres high and forms the cellar in which the millstones were housed. This ground-floor cellar, accessible directly from the ground, facilitated the miller's work and the handling of the sacks of grain. The whole of this base is made of blue slate rubble, a characteristic material of Anjou geology, whose dark reflections give the monument its distinctive colour under the Anjou sky. Against this cylindrical base stands the massereau tower, a transitional element linking the cellar to the upper mechanisms. It is here that the most striking architectural feature of the Moulin de la Garde lies: unlike the majority of caviers in Anjou, which build their toadstools entirely from brickwork, this one has an upper section built entirely from timber, covered with slate flakes. This solution, which is both lighter and easier to maintain, gives the mill an original two-headed silhouette, combining the gravity of stone with the lightness of wood. At the top is the hucherolle, a structural cage housing the essential components of the mechanism: the angle gear, the horizontal drive shaft and the wing assembly devices. These wings, known as Berton wings after the engineer who perfected this model in the eighteenth century, allow the wind to be finely regulated thanks to their adjustable flaps. Completely rebuilt in 1981 using traditional techniques, they bear witness to the continuity of exceptional carpentry skills.
Related Figures
Les religieux Augustins d'Angers — communauté religieuse percevant une rente de 30 livres tournois sur le moulin dès 1584Le meunier de 1584 — exploitant anonyme du moulin primitif, premier nommé dans les archives censuelles de la seigneurie de la PerrièreLes seigneurs de la Perrière — famille seigneuriale angevine dont le moulin relevait censivement à la fin du XVIe siècleLes charpentiers restaurateurs de 1981 — artisans ayant restitué la hucherolle et les ailes Berton selon les techniques traditionnelles angevines
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Moulin à vent de la Garde located?
Moulin à vent de la Garde is located in Avrillé, Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire region, France.
When was Moulin à vent de la Garde built?
Moulin à vent de la Garde dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Moulin à vent de la Garde open to visitors?
Moulin à vent de la Garde is currently closed to visitors.
