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Mills and Pont Aven (Stroll in Pont Aven)
Mills race thus multiplied as early as Gallo-Roman time. At the end of the fifteenth century the number of mills in operation followed population growth and the 14 houses village which had been established to house the mills-workers remained and was called Pont-Aven.
 One can thus describe this hamlet named Pont-Aven today as being a set of 14 cottages housing the millers and their families. They were the flour milling industry for the crops of the seigniorial of Riec, Clohars, Bannalec, Nizon and Melgven. .
These houses were the feudal possession of the castle of Rustéphan, the Lord of Poulguen and Henan and the monks of St Maurice's abbey
The reason for the saying : Pont-Aven, renown city, 14 mills, 15 houses. was because of the Inn built to lodge the workers of the new port activities. Indeed this inn became famous and was the first one of many others that gave the city its fame.
Historic
The
Moulin du Grand Poulguin race and fundaments date from the XIIth century.The mill was property of the Lords of Poulguin owners of the castle situated in Port Manech, on the right bank of the Aven river during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Poul Guin comes from Poul Gwin, meaning wine hole: It was the wine coasting trade that was the main resource under the ancien regime. This wine trade named many houses and mills.t
In 1833 Sébastien Even bought the Moulin du Grand
Poulguin from the Marquess of the Nétunnières for the small amount of 8000 francs. En 1920,
Emile Ligeour purchased it and the watermill remained in activity until 1954.
Then the mill ceased to operate for more than 40 years but the moulin was used as a grocery-coffee shop called Fine Ligeour for more than ten years in the sixties.
In May 1994, the mill of Grand Poulguin was restored following the initiative of his owner, Mr. Yves Sintic and the President of the association "
Finistere Mills Friends" , Mr Joseph Cavaloc. Then in 2002, the present owner has undertaken some restauration works on the wheel with the help of Plében building Trade Technical School(29).
" 14
watermills, 15 houses ! "
was the colorful description of this small village in the 19th century. Grand Poulguin,
fourteenth of the list, is the last and still able to function mill, located downstream on the right bank of the Aven River
Functioning
Watermill in Pont-Aven depend on the tide. By opening the mill sluice the raised
water sets the waterweel in motion. The force of the water's movement drives the blades of a wheel and its functioning can either be slow down or stop.
The water speed, striking the paddle wheels set horizontally in line with the flow turned a runner stone balanced on the rynd which is atop a shaft leading directly up from the wheel. These wheels are made of oak, sweet chestnut tree or beech, and if they do not remain for too long outside of the water, they can last between 20 to 30 years.
The
passage of water is controlled by sluice-gates that allow maintenance and some measure of flood control. This control is made by the miller inside the mill using steering wheel acting on the mechanism. The speed of the large water wheel is three rotations per minute. The grindstone rotates 33 times faster than the water wheel at a speed of 120 rotations per minute
Both water wheels have different mechanism. A set of millstones consist of a rolling top stone and a fixed bottom stone. It seems complicated, but it is quite simple! Both wheels make a double gearing which accelarates the mechanism. The second wheel transforms the horizontal movement into a vertical movement. The waterwheel is mounted on a wooden shaft reinforced with iron bands. It drives wooden gearwheels. the cogs are made of tropical wood greased with beewax. The wood origin was Cameroon or Ivory Coast but pear or apple trees, holms, oak, boxwood or black-wood can be used.
This skiped roll
pulls two rotation axes, themselves pulling two pairs of grindstones located on the floor above.
On their base, these two axes sink into a grating and on each side of the gratings
both binding screws are perfectly visible. The screwing of these regulates the grinding pressure.
A rudimentary valve worked by a cord regulates the amount of grains entering between the two millstones
The grinding process is to separate the flour from
the bran once the grain is grinded.Each of the millstones is equipped with troughs, hoppers ans sacks.
A hoist is used to haul the sacks of grain up into the loft and the miller used a ladder.
A small bell attached to the hopper rang when it was empty and the miller was warned of any malfunctioning. .
Exploitation
In the miller's workshop three different millstones to yield three sorts of grain: wheat, buckwheat, rye and barley. You can also see the belt pulley that used to take up loads. 
According to the grain to grind, the miller can use different stones, granite, flint , quartz, limestone or sandstone. The choice is made according to the region and the personal taste of the miller.
The grain is crushed between parallel millstones : the shaft rises through the floor above, then through the fixed lower millstone and ends by being secured to the upper movable millstone witch is thus rotated by the horizontal mill wheel. Grains to be crushed are poured out into a wooden funnel, the hopper, and pass into the runnel. .
The small brooms fixed on the millstone shove the crushed grains with the centrifugal force to the outer rim of the millstone then to the runnel and end up in the sacksuite.
From time to time it was necessary to re-dress the grinding surface of the millstones using a chisel-headed hammer. During the grinding, encrustations tended to form . To remove these deposits the upper millstones were lifted with rollers so that they could be cleaned Two iron rods were inserted in two holes at the sides of the millstone. These rods were then connected to a screw, which controlled by a small handle, enabled the upper millstone to be raise, moved and placed on the floor. The millstone could also be turned over so that maintenance and repair were made.
An exhibition place for past artists such as Even, Grünn, ...
And for the living artists of Pont Aven and Pays de l'Aven- Belon such as Pustoc'h, Donval, Padrig, Ruiz, Padrig, Edouard, Marco Di napoli, Pondeville, Tual.....
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