Moulin à tan de Jau

Moulin à tan de Jau is a historic water mill standing on the Lathan river in Breil, now part of the commune of Noyant-Villages in Maine-et-Loire. The building carries centuries of local craft history, having served in turn as a grain mill, a fulling mill and a tannery mill.

Where exactly is this mill?

The mill sits in Breil, a village that became a delegated commune within the newly created Noyant-Villages on 15 December 2016, in the Maine-et-Loire department of the Pays de la Loire region. It stands directly on the Lathan river, which once powered its wheel, and is recorded on cadastral maps under plot number A 613.

What is the history behind the mill?

The site has medieval origins, though the building seen today most likely dates from the second half of the 19th century. Over the centuries it changed function several times: a grain mill, then a fulling mill for felting cloth, then a mill grinding oak bark for tanning, and finally a grain mill again. Tanning activity stopped in 1952. The mill was restored in 1982 and returned to grinding grain, and in 1994 its shaft and water wheel were rebuilt.

What does "moulin à tan" actually mean?

A "moulin à tan" is a mill built to grind oak bark into tannin, the substance tanners used to cure animal hides into leather. At Jau, this past use is confirmed by an outbuilding in the courtyard that once stored oak bark ready for grinding - it's this storage shed that lets historians identify the mill's tanning period, even though the building served as a grain mill both before and after.

What does the building and its wheel look like?

The mill has a square plan under a hip roof. The ground floor holds the pit housing the angle-drive gearing, while the millstones sit on the floor above. On the north side, a two-pitch roof spans part of the watercourse to shelter the traditional undershot wheel: 5.60 metres in diameter, 1.50 metres wide, with 8 arms and 48 straight blades. Outside, a niche in the facade holds a small statue of Saint Catherine, patron saint of millers, and visitors passing by can also spot a hand hammer once used for dressing the millstones and an upright millstone displayed nearby.

What is its heritage status today?

The Moulin à tan de Jau was listed as a monument historique (inscribed, not classified) on 21 December 1984. Protection covers the mill itself along with the facades and roof of the building that stored the oak bark. The mill is privately owned and no longer in operation - it once ran on hydraulic power, but the wheel now stands idle.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Moulin à tan de Jau located? In Breil, a delegated commune of Noyant-Villages, in the Maine-et-Loire department, on the banks of the Lathan river.

What is a "moulin à tan"? A mill used to grind oak bark into tannin, a substance used in tanning to turn animal hides into leather.

When was the mill listed as a historic monument? It was inscribed as a monument historique on 21 December 1984, with protection covering the mill building and the bark storage shed.

Is the mill still operating? No. Tanning ceased in 1952, and although the mill was restored in 1982 and its wheel rebuilt in 1994, it is currently unused and privately owned.

What kind of water wheel does the mill have? A traditional undershot wheel measuring 5.60 metres in diameter and 1.50 metres wide, fitted with 8 arms and 48 straight blades.