Living heritage
When you come to visit the mill, you’re in for a surprise when you see the large water wheel, with a diameter of 3.20 m, rebuilt using iroko (African wood), the millstream with an exceptional capacity of 500,000 litres of water, and the magnificent thatched roof. Inside the mill, you’ll be able to see the system of cogs and the mill’s two sets of millstones, one of which is now producing flour again. The permanent exhibition “Intérieur Normand” will plunge you into daily life back then.
In the mill’s educational room that was built in 2009, a 1950s classroom has been created. A wood oven has also been created here.
Marie Ravenel, miller and poet
Marie Joséphine Ravenel was born at Coudrairie Mill on the 21st August 1811. Her father was a miller and her mother was a spinner. Very quickly, she started showing signs that she was more intelligent than the average child. Self-taught, she could read perfectly at the age of 5 and she developed a passion for reading. Her parents had a limited collection of books, so it was the vicar of the parish who loaned her books, that she devoured one-by-one. She was particularly keen on books about mythology.
At the age of 7, Marie started school and was a hardworking pupil. This was when she learnt to write. At the age of 10, she was sent to live with a spinner but came back shortly afterwards because she was missing her mill so much. At the age of 14, she went to stay with a seamstress and school teacher, and said she had a marvellous time with her.
It was at the age of 15 that she started writing for pleasure, and began by writing fables. 7 years later, she turned to poetry and never looked back from this newly-found passion. She published her very first work at the age of 41 and was immediately successful in the world of poetry and in bookshops. 8 years later, she published her second work, which included 50 poems, and then she published her entire collection in 1890, at the age of 79. She was a talented poet, well-known in the world of poetry.
Opening periods
Open from Sunday to Thursday, from 10:30am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm, from April to September.
Shop
Come and treat yourself or find the perfect gift at the “Boutique du Moulin”. Discover a wide range of products from Normandy, and more specifically from Cotentin.
You’ll also find flour from the mill, and bread on the days when the bread is freshly made.
