The water runs and spins, without ever stopping, an impressive wheel of metal and wood. At the Boël mill, it had been almost a hundred years since the noise had been heard. Hidden in a gully of purple schist where the Vilaine flows (hence its name, which means “the gut”), the building built in 1652 in Bruz, near Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine) almost died in several times since 1935 and the cessation of flour production. Without the extraordinary will of a man, it could have disappeared in 1962, when a storm tore away what remained of slates and walls.
The sad ruin was not far from being engulfed by the waves of the brown river. Or even to be demolished by the men who had left him for dead. But Jean-Yves Connen saved it, by organizing reconstruction sites for three years with young people from all over the world, whose remains of huts are still visible in the lush vegetation. Sixty years after this rescue in extremis, the enthusiast ended up leaving the reins of its association Les amis du Boël at the age of 85.
This Saturday, it is therefore his successor and friend Luc Pierrard who will have the honor to inaugurate the “new” building, in the presence of his predecessor. Damaged by the years, the mill of Boël underwent an intense restoration project started a year ago which will have cost the trifle of 714,000 euros. It was necessary to empty 30 centimeters of mud stuck to the bottom, to create openings to allow the evacuation of water in case of flooding and to redo all the joints of the facade.
“A mill without a wheel is not really a mill”
Funded almost 50% by the city of Bruz, the project has also received support from the city, private sponsors such as the Giboire group, local residents and also from the Heritage Foundation via the Loto du patrimoine de la Lotery. “It was Jean-Yves Connen who had heard of Stéphane Bern’s mission. He contacted him directly and he put together a file, ”says Luc Pierrard. Passionate about history, Le Bruzois took over the presidency of the association a year ago.
I grew up in Rennes and have always known this mill. I saw it deteriorate in recent years when there is such a story around. Imagine, when it was built, Louis XIV was 14 years old! “.
For nearly 300 years, millers have worked within the thick walls of the mill to provide flour to locals. The story goes that in addition to paying rent, the millers also had to provide eels and a cake a year to the nobles who rented the building from them. The milling activity finally ended in 1935 at Le Boël, when the mill lost its second wheel. Thanks to the support of the municipality, a new wheel was installed on the side of the building. “A mill without a wheel isn’t really a mill,” Luc Pierrard says, amused. This one will not turn millstones but is able to produce electricity, with the only force of water. “It is a magnificent place, in a sumptuous natural setting. It was essential that he continue to live. Our common desire now is to open it to the public, ”warns Bruz cultural assistant Marie-Pierre Durand.
This will be the case this Saturday afternoon during guided tours of the mill open to the public as part of the inauguration. But thereafter, the entries will undoubtedly be quite rare for the curious, in particular because of the complex regulations on the reception of the public. But no need to go inside to enjoy the beauty of the building. The goldsmith’s work of the craftsmen has restored such brilliance to the mill that no one will be able to ignore it.