Prochain point : lat="49.0447" lon="1.87259"
Rueil washhouse
A living space in the heart of a rural hamlet
The communal washhouse...
This washhouse is one of the last remaining ones in a municipal area that once counted up to 17. In the hamlet of Rueil, there were six, but only one was public. Built in 1874 in the shpe of an atrium and enclosed on three sides by high rendered rubblestone walls. Its impluvium zinc roof is designed to collect rainwater, which that fell directly into the pools. The roof is supported by cast iron posts. Water flowed from a fountain fed by a spring in the park of the nearby château and into the first pool, which communicates with the second by means of a sluice gate. The washing stones, angled toward the pools, are still visible, as are the sandstone paving stones in the areas where people circulated. The rehabilitation work started in 1884 and is kept up regularly.
... And its pond-trough
The footbath, also called a rinsing pool, was originally a natural pond that was developed and enlarged in 1875. The pond, with its gentle slope and low edges, was the watering place for the livestock (horses, oxen and sheep) from the surrounding farms. With the mechanization of agriculture and the disappearance of livestock, the natural flora and fauna have returned to the pond. Reeds have grown here, making it a haven for dragonflies, amphibians and moorhens. The challenge now is to protect the balance of this ecosystem by preserving the species, while maintaining good oxygenation of the pond.
