Mick and Helen Cooke have enrolled their watermill near Carcassonne as the first French mill to join the Friends of the Mills Archive. The mill at Villegailhenc is now on our Featured Mill page –
see Featured Mills
As well as describing what they have discovered, Mick and Helen are also seeking information and are prepared to show people round the chambers and tunnels they have discovered under the mill.
They write: “It was April 2006 when me, Helen and our two sons Jack and Harry swapped central London for the sun and tranquility of a converted watermill in the south of France. Despite having no previous experience in construction, we spent some years renovating our 200 year old Moulin, building two gites and a swimming pool. Helen now runs a small business teaching English to local children and adults and the children are continuing their progress through village school, college and lycee. August 2010 was a major highlight when me and Helen got married in the old millrace, in the back garden, surrounded by dozens of English and French friends and family. Another significant date was July 2011 when we completed our second gite in the old millroom. This former workshop contains two 1.80m diameter horizontal millstones, one of which now serves as a comfortable double bed.
Mick says: ‘We know we are lucky to live here but so far we only have a sketchy idea about the history of our moulin and we want to find out more – which is why we joined Friends of the Mills Archive Trust.’
If you would like to stay at Le Moulin – and even help Mick and Helen in their quest for knowledge – they would love to hear from you. Please click here for more information. You can also call them on 0033 468 775857 or email them at hmtraining@yahoo.co.uk