Moulin à vent d'Ouarville

The Moulin à vent d'Ouarville is a wooden windmill standing in Édeville, a hamlet within the commune of Ouarville, in the Eure-et-Loir department of the Centre-Val de Loire region. Also known as the Grand Moulin or Moulin Ferron, it is one of the enduring landmarks of the Beauce, France's great grain-growing plain.

Why do the name and the address point to two different places?

The mill's name references Ouarville, while its address lists Édeville — this isn't an inconsistency, just two layers of the same location. Édeville is one of three hamlets that make up the commune of Ouarville, a village of roughly 550 residents. Ouarville sits at the heart of the Beauce, within the Communauté de Communes Coeur de Beauce, close to the A10 and A11 motorways. Chartres is 25 km away, Paris 85 km, and Orléans 60 km.

What does the windmill look like?

The mill is built entirely of wood and rests directly on the ground: its base structure touches the earth, and the whole body pivots on a central post supported by four buttresses, letting the sails always face the wind. Inside, wooden gear wheels and stone millstones drive the grinding mechanism — modernized over time, but still following its original layout. The mill originally carried four sails; two were removed at the end of 1939 after the wood had rotted beyond repair.

How old is the mill, and is it protected?

Records document a windmill on this site from the 17th century onward. It was listed as a classified historic monument (monument historique classé) on 30 September 1941. Architectural historians point to it as a strong example of the Beauce-type windmill: a simple, functional design built for working the open, windswept plains of the region.

What happened to it in the 20th century?

Like many rural French windmills, it fell out of active use as industrial flour milling took over. In June 1989 it was dismantled for a thorough restoration, then re-inaugurated in September 1992. The following year, in 1993, the commune of Ouarville and the family who owns the mill signed a 60-year emphyteutic lease, securing its long-term upkeep as a piece of local heritage.

Can visitors see it while touring the Beauce?

Today the mill is a stop on the Route du Blé, a themed trail across the Beauce that highlights the region's farming and milling heritage. Because it remains private property, access to the interior is limited and depends on locally organized events — but standing alone on the open plain, the mill itself is visible from a distance and is one of the recognizable landmarks along Beauce touring routes.

Frequently asked questions

Are Édeville and Ouarville two separate places? No. Édeville is one of the hamlets that form the commune of Ouarville. The mill's name refers to the commune, while its address points to the specific hamlet within it.

How old is the Moulin à vent d'Ouarville? Its existence is documented from the 17th century, although this type of mill construction may have been used in the region earlier.

Is the mill a protected historic monument? Yes — it was classified as a monument historique on 30 September 1941.

How many sails does the mill have today? It originally had four sails; two were removed at the end of 1939 due to wood rot. The mill later underwent a major restoration, being dismantled in 1989 and re-inaugurated in 1992.

What is the Beauce region known for? The Beauce is a vast agricultural plain in Centre-Val de Loire, known as one of France's main grain-growing areas, covering part of the Eure-et-Loir department.