Its Location
The Mill ofFourneau is located in Burgundy between Nièvres and forests, a stone's throw from the Morvan and more precisely in the county
, not far from the peat bogs and
of Prémery, regional nature reserve where
you will be able to see endemic fauna and flora, common frogs and carnivorous plants, but also marbled newts, salamanders, booted eagles and maybe even a few leprechauns and fairies.
The largest of the ponds, after having been emptied of three meters of peat, returned to its original state 15,000 years ago... A 3,700 year old fossil trunk was awakened there, “the sleeper of the lake”.
The Mill of Fourneau is nestled inheart of the green valley of the Nièvre, in the small flowery town of Prémery, an ancient castle town which preserves in itsheart an elegant castle with its fortified porchXIVcentury which was until the end of theXVIIth century the summer residence of the bishops of Nevers. You will be able to discover also the old Saint-Marcel collegiate church ofXIIIe andXIVth centuries.
Paradise for fishermen and walkers, Prémery which in Celtic means "prem","near" and "ry", "river" is aptly named, You can pwalk along the Nièvre d'Arzembouy which embraces the mill with its waters and enjoy the pleasant body of water with a sandy beach, stroll on the many trails and paths such as the Chemin de Compostela which crosses our country.
During your walks, admire the remains of the Tower of the Hanged; mainly dated from 1494. It is one of the last vestiges of the city's fortifications. Stop at our wash houses. They constitute an important part of the small built heritage of Nièvre. Very present throughout the territory, they are strong testimony, in addition to the numerous works and remains of forges, of the use of waterways in the daily life of the villages.
A town in the countryside, Prémery is equipped with all essential services. You will fall under the charm of its town center with its superb Old Sandstone Museum and all its shop facades with the look of yesteryear where artists and craftsmen produce quality products. The year is punctuated with festivals and events, some of which have a long tradition.
His history
The Moulin du Fourneau was at the beginning of the17th centurycentury the metallurgical factory known as the Prémery blast furnace, then it was a wheat mill, then a flour mill, a sawmill and a house.
The site which apparently appears at the beginning of the 17th century was composed of a refinery, a blast furnace and a forge. The oldest known blacksmith masters are Jean Diliez in 1603, Jean Francon in 1620 and François Quartier in 1669. In 1664, Louis Perreau was general farmer of the Prémery land. In 1694, he became Controller of the town of Prémery and was responsible for controlling iron for the Navy. His son took over the job in 1710. In 1770, the factory produced 250 tons of cast iron. After the French Revolution, the factories, which had become national property, were sold at the same time as the castle to Jean-Mathieu Petit, collector of the district of Nevers (May 4 and December 20, 1791). In 1802, the blast furnace produced 500 tons of cast iron and the forge 100 tons of small iron. Jean-Mathieu Petit sold in 1810 to Grenouillet who leased his new properties to Baron Huvelin de Bavilliers whose son James managed the businesses. In 1821, Grenouillet separated the assets. He sold the château and the land of Prémery to Mr. d'Arcquinvillers, former master of accounts at the château de Saint-Martin, and the factory to James Huvelin de Bavilliers. The latter founded an association for the operation of the forges under the name, James Huvelin de Bavilliers et Cie. At that time, the company manufactured cast iron kitchen utensils and firebacks. Around 1827, the blast furnace and the forge were sold by James Huvelin de Bavilliers to Baron d'Arcquinvillers. He only guards the small forge. On May 1, 1828, the widow of Arcquinvillers sold the land of Prémery with its factories to the widow Paichereau and her brother-in-law Pierre-François Paichereau, ironmaster of Saint-Benin-d'Azy. In 1843, the large forge and the blast furnace stopped operating. An authorization to remain in activity was, however, requested on November 28, 1843. The company then included a blast furnace, a bocard, a small forge with mazerie fire and two refinery fires and a lime kiln. Competition from foreign iron companies led to the total closure of the site around 1848. The forge was then transformed into a wheat mill and then into a flour mill.
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Became the property of the Gaudry family who replaced the paddle wheel with a turbine at the beginning of the 1930s, it was during the 20th century a sawmill then converted into a home.
Since October 7, 2020, the Moulin du Fourneau has been owned by Ms. Camier and Mr. Maudrait.
The shape of the bed of the Nièvre and the power of its flow allowed the establishment of a blast furnace fed by a diversion reach and a forge located directly on the watercourse. Between the two production workshops were installed the workers' and foreman's housing, the coal halls and the stables. The blast furnace is located below the old roadway. It is made up of limestone rubble walls. The main part is consolidated by cut stone walls. The roof is two-sided in flat and mechanical tiles. It overlooks a walled garden. The workers' housing forms a long building with a base below the roadway. They are made of cement-coated rubble with cut stone corner chains. The roof is two-sided covered with flat or mechanical tiles. The old forge, transformed into a mill, is built on a rectangular plan parallel to the river. The reach always passes under the building; then runs along its right side. A shed still houses the turbines. The lime kiln shown on the 1837 plan is located at the rear of the housing.