Prochain point : lat="49.1649" lon="1.84715"
Washhouses
The last of the two communal washhouses
An atypical washhouse...
This washhouse is powered by a spring known as the "Fontaine du Jardinet" (Garden Fountain), which, with the spring called “Fontaine à Mademoiselle” (Young Lady’s Fountain) or “Demoiselle de Bellebrune” (the Damsel of Brellebrune) together form the Aubette de Magny. There are many washhouses, mills and small factories along this tributary. This washhouse was built in the second half of the nineteenth century, when the rural municipalities sought to improve the daily lives of their inhabitants, especially through hydraulic engineering. The archives contain information about a dispute between two communities of washerwomen. The women of Nucourt did not want those from the neighbouring village of Serans to come to the washhouse on the same day. The women of Serans had to wait until 1898 to have their own washhouse.
This washhouse has a form of architecture that is unusual for the French Vexin. Its originality lies in the fact that the two pools are separated by a large paved area. Each pool was protected by a shed roof and the washing areas were sheltered by high rendered rubble stone walls. The washhouse ceased to operate in the 1970s for safety reasons and it was rebuilt in 1997 at the request of the local population in the interests of conserving local heritage.
... Surrounded by wetlands
Wetlands are fragile environments; they are hydrological regulators, surface water purifiers and reservoirs of biodiversity. As such, they need to be preserved and enhanced. Around the washhouse there is a reed bed, covering an area of almost 9000 m², with common reeds (Phragmites communis), sedge and a small area of tall herbaceous perennials (megaphorbia).
