Domaine de 
Richebourg

In the Île-de-France region, mills are plentiful — particularly in Yvelines (78). The Richebourg Mill is part of an architectural ensemble dating back to the medieval period. Over the centuries, the buildings were expanded and restored until the 19th century. The Richebourg Mill is mentioned in the Port Royal cartulary (13th century). The entire estate was donated in 1206 to the Abbey of Port Royal by the Bishop of Paris. The mills produced flour and also contributed to tile production.

It is said that the monks of Bazainville diverted the Salceron River that runs through Richebourg to power the mills more efficiently. Such alterations to the landscape were unregulated at the time, and landowners freely redirected waterways as they pleased. In Richebourg, the human influence is still visible today in the sharp angles and bends of the river’s path.

In 1745, Count de Cossé-Brissac — Lieutenant General of the King’s Armies under Louis XV and High Justice of Saulx-Richebourg — became the owner of the château, the farm, and the mill. He increased the Sausseron’s flow and built the Honnins washhouse.

By 1750, a notarial record notes that the mill had two wheels and four grindstones, demonstrating the Sausseron’s importance in the 18th century.

Its flow decreased with the rise of the Industrial Revolution and the construction of the Avre Aqueduct in 1893, which supplies Paris with drinking water. The project’s chief engineer was none other than Fulgence Bienvenüe, one of the founders of the Paris Metro. As a result, the mill’s activity quickly ceased due to the reduced water power and the advent of new industrial milling technologies.

Today, the Richebourg Mill is experiencing a renaissance — life has returned to the heart of this remarkable piece of rural heritage.