Big trees fall in the park

a new clearing in the parc

the foresters tidy up the huge fallen trees

how old, dendochronologists?

the 'electro mill' race, a bit encumbered...

a branch still in the roof of the Bollée ram building

another fallen tree on the grand canal

Éolienne Bollée - A wind turbine by Bollée

The Abbé Henri Proust, already dead before the invention of fossil-fuel-based electricity, is clearly interested in the green agenda for renewable energy supply.  So he likes the windmills conceived and manufactured by the famous engineer Ernest Sylvain Bollée of Le Mans (two hours by as yet uninvented car from Richelieu in the département of Sarthe).

This nice example served as a water pump for a 19 century chateau that lies between Azay-le-Rideau and Montbazon (see Google maps to the right).  Most of the early Bollée turbines were supplied to the aristocracy and the gentry, as certainly in this case.

Details of another wind turbine by Bollée are to be found HERE.

For true obsessives (like the Abbé himself) try HERE

The château & town's water system (2) - in photographs

A former post written by chief architect of Les Monuments Historiques, Arnaud de Saint-Jouan, described the château and town's water supply system. Here are sylvan pictures of the various installations to match the very interesting and informative text. (Items references refer to the text).

Click here for the text.

The 17 century spring chamber at Bisseuil (item O)

The water aerator outside the castle (item P)

The town's old water tower fed from Bisseuil 

The Bollée hydraulic ram building (item J)

The old electricity generator building (item J)

The sluice from the ram and the powerstation (item G)

The sluice flowing past the hydraulic ram (item G)

The current supply canal in its 19 century relocation (item D)

The grand canal looking south towards the original 17 century feeder canal and sluices location (item E), now largely blocked and silted up

The sad location of the derelict embarquadère on the grand canal, demolished in 2007 (item L)

See an historic boating picture

The inaccessible location of the reservoir, within the walled hunting park with the wild boar (item M)

The view of the grand canal's exit sluices from the main park (item F)

The main exit sluices (item F)

The sluice's stonework abutments (item F)

The final overflow pond before the entry to the town's moat, now partially planted with poplars (item I)

The water system of the Castle and Town - a paper prepared by Arnaud de Saint-Jouan, chief architect of Les Monuments Historiques.

ParcChateauWaterRevSaintJ - Upload a doc

Read this doc on Scribd: ParcChateauWaterRevSaintJ

try these clicks...

Arnaud de Saint Jouan's text on the park's canal system

Click here for pictures of the water system installations.