Claux mill

The mills, a living heritage of Val d'Ay and North Ardèche, especially when like Franck and Véronique Grimonpont, the owners of the Moulin du Claux, in Saint Romain d'Ay, there is a desire to preserve them and keep it in memory.

Franck and Véronique evoke with kindness and passion the history of their mill transformed into a dwelling thanks to the ingenious architect Arthur Chalendar of the Archipolis office in Davézieux... A beautiful story that has given food for thought since 1602, where the composition of Saint Romain d 'Ay indicates the list of owners of the Claux mill
In 1760 Cassini's map gives us a fairly precise description of the places. There are at least three mills on the Ay river, the last of which could be the Moulin des Claux. Who says Moulin, says a levee, a water intake and a canal. It will evolve and the building will expand. It has two wheels: one is used as a grain motor, another wooden one is used for oil.
In 1834 the Napoleonic cadastre indicates that Joseph Guigal is the owner of the mill (parcel A 188), the bealière and the lock (parcel A189). His dwelling house is located on plot A199.
Grain for flour and rapeseed for oil. From the grain silot, a first step allows washing, which removes straw and gravel, followed by sieving to the flour silot. The grain of wheat breaks down into pericarp (for the bran) and seed (whose uses will be for the bran, white flour or germ).
Successive owners from 1602 to 1761 were Fleury Gaillard Guigonnet, Chastanet-Pierre Feuilhat, Anthoine Pietre – Laurens Dumas, Antoine Ducloux – Jehan Marcoux, Antoine Colomby -Pierre Pugnet.
In 1761 the Mill became the property of the Guigal family, in 1834 it was Joseph Guigal, in 1843 Jeanne Françoise de Veron de la Borie, in 1867 Marie Hélène Cécile de Montavel, in 1878 Claude Casimir Arnaud, then in 1881, his widow Marie Sophie Mariouloux and her children Joseph and Henriette Cécile.
The owners then called on millers Augustin Léorat and Julien Monterimard.
In 1906 Jean Marie Claude Léon Arnaud, farmer, died in Verdun in 1914.
His widow Célestine Hélène and her children Josephine, Marie-Thérèse and Jeanne Marie then resorted again to millers Louis Lacombe, Jean Clot.
In 1933 Adrien Marcoux, husband of Joséphine Arnaud, took over the mill, which was modernized: Adrien placed an order with the Teisset Rose Brault company for a "turnkey" factory and called on workers. The first answered to the name of Gerbert. (1942). Marcel Valayer succeeded him from 1943 to July 1961, then in July 1961 it was Camille Epale, in August 1962 Poulenard René, in December 1969 Bernard Panaye, in July 1971 Gabriel Chalaye in November 1971 Daniel Monneron.
The millstones are kept until 1957 (last modernization)
In 1973: change of activity of the mill, it is noted on the commercial register dated January 31, 1973, "manufacture with way of secondary cereals for the feeding of the cattle and oil mill with way".
According to a memorandum dated October 29, 1974 from the General Directorate of Taxes, the Moulin du Claux "is no longer in a condition to produce wheat flour intended for human consumption, the main parts having been dismantled"
1981: end of the activity of the Mill (certificate of cancellation of the company on July 17)
1986 Renée Marcoux wife of Jean Auguste Pierre Béraud is the owner
2018 Franck and Véronique Grimonpont acquire the mill, call on architects to build a dwelling in the heart of the mill.