Moulin à vent du Gué-Robert

Moulin à vent du Gué-Robert is a 19th-century windmill standing in Valanjou, a village that is now part of the commune of Chemillé-en-Anjou in the Maine-et-Loire department, roughly thirty kilometres south of Angers. Listed as a historic monument since 10 June 1975, it belongs to the "cavier" mill type typical of this part of the Loire region.

Where does the mill stand, and where does its name come from?

The windmill sits at a spot called Le Gué-Robert, just off the D24 departmental road near the hamlet of La Marzelle. The name comes from a ford (in French, "gué") across the Boisneau stream at the foot of the hill, once crossed by the old road leading to Thouarcé. That crossing point, used for centuries by travellers and traders, gave its name first to the location and later to the mill built above it.

Valanjou itself remained an independent commune until 15 December 2015, when it merged with several neighbouring villages to form the larger commune of Chemillé-en-Anjou. Visitors relying on older maps should therefore head for Valanjou rather than the historic centre of Chemillé.

What makes a "cavier" windmill different?

The cavier is a regional variant of the windmill found in Anjou and nearby parts of the Loire valley. It combines two distinct parts: a stone, cone-shaped base bank covered in an earth mound that conceals a cellar (the "cave" that gives the type its name), and a wooden upper cabin known as the "hucherolle". Unlike ordinary windmills, where only the cap or the sails rotate, the entire hucherolle turns together with the sail mechanism to face the wind.

Access to this movable wooden cabin was via a sturdy external ladder, which the miller climbed to reach the machinery and reorient the sails as the wind shifted. The earthen mound wrapped around the stone base served both to insulate the structure and to reinforce it structurally.

Is the mill still in operation?

No — the Moulin à vent du Gué-Robert turned in the wind until 1952. Since then it has stood idle as a working mill, though its historic structure has been preserved well enough to earn its 1975 listing as a monument historique. The mill is a surviving witness to an era when cavier windmills dotted the agricultural landscape of Anjou, grinding grain for the surrounding farms.

What else is worth knowing before a visit?

Several other windmills still stand around Valanjou, including the moulin des Verzeaux, the moulin de Sourdigné and the moulin des Armeneaux — a reminder of how densely these structures once occupied the windy hilltops of the area. Visitors to the Moulin à vent du Gué-Robert can easily combine the stop with a short circuit past these neighbouring mills to get a fuller picture of Anjou's windmilling history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where exactly is the Moulin à vent du Gué-Robert located? In Valanjou, part of the commune of Chemillé-en-Anjou (postcode 49670), just off the D24 road, about 30 km south of Angers.

Since when has it been a protected monument? It was listed as a monument historique on 10 June 1975.

What does "cavier" mean for this windmill's design? It refers to a regional design with a stone, cone-shaped, earth-banked base holding a cellar, topped by a wooden rotating cabin (the hucherolle) that turns to face the wind.

Until when was the mill in use? It kept turning in the wind until 1952, after which it stopped operating.