The Old Mill of Vernon

Vernon, France

The old mill of Vernon, a half-timbered construction, lies straddling two piers of the ancient bridge over the Seine River. Several mills like this one used to be operating on the river all along the old wooden bridge. This bridge itself was built in the 12th century, the mill is probably in the 16th century. The old bridge has been destroyed and rebuilt several times in the middle age. It was very unsafe and was definitively detroyed in the beginning of the 19th century. Then it was replaced by a stone bridge in 1861.

Destroyed during the war in 1870 it was rebuilt in 1872 and then bombed in 1940. So the bridge you cross today to go from Vernon to Giverny is the fourth generation. It was built in 1955. The mechanism used to be a pending wheel like Saint Jean mill, a nearby mill now destroyed, or like the mill of Muids. Between 1925 and 1930, the old mill belonged to a revue spectacular composer, Jean Nouguès, who managed a dancing on a barge moored nearby. In 1930 he sold it to an American, William Griffin.

After the death of William Griffin in 1947 the city of Vernon tried to find his heirs but did not succeed. The mill was damaged by the bombings of 1940 and 1944. It was about to fall into the Seine River when the city of Vernon undertook its salvage. Now the old mill is a symbol of Vernon. It has been represented thousands of times by painters, even by Claude Monet.

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    Impasse de la Chaussée, Vernon, France
    See all sites in Vernon

    Details

    Founded: 16th century
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    More Information

    giverny.org

    Rating

    4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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    User Reviews

    Gabriela Crncic (4 years ago)
    Beautiful old mill ❤️
    That Dashcam Guy (4 years ago)
    I really cool stop if you are in the area.
    Bart Van den Bosch (4 years ago)
    Just saw it on the outside. There's a bit of a park there's where you can rest and enjoy the view.
    Crypto Bro (4 years ago)
    Amazing piece of history .. veryvrelaxed and calm in the park
    Terry Palin (4 years ago)
    While biking to Giverny, we stopped just over the bridge and had a delightful picnic lunch, just my group, one goose, and two rather insistent ducks. The bossier of the two ducks was not the least bit leary of humans and was very keen on asking for handouts. Of course, we gave in. The goose was less insistent (of which I am glad - he was pretty intimidating). But this is supposed to be about the old mill. It is lovely and looks as though it originally sat next to an old bridge; pilings can be seen a ways into the river. The mill is built in what I would (probably incorrectly) call the English style of exposed beems and plaster (I'm not an architect or builder). Very classic. It stands just dozen the way from a stone tower which might have guarded the river and bridge at one time. If you are hiking or biking to Giverny, stop by this park and see these striking buildings. And take some bread for my duck friend.
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