Mill of the old oil mill - Crupet

Oil mills are industrial mills specially built to press oil from oilseeds (rapeseed, rapeseed, peanuts and linseed). The miller on an oil mill is usually referred to as 'oil butcher'.

In a small enclosed valley, where the brook le Ry de Jance forms a small waterfall, the limestone buildings of the old oil mill were built from 1816 or 1817. This was in use until at least 1865 . The buildings are gathered on the right bank of the stream. The wooden (remade) wheel of the old mill , which is partly covered with ivy, can be seen from the street.

An elevated mill stream developed motor power. The engine room inside has long since disappeared. When the building was converted into a garage , all openings were changed . Facing the street , a niche was carved into a cornerstone of French stone . In this niche, covered with ivy, stands a Madonna that is certainly not original because it was made of materials that were not used in our region at the time.

The house in the east, which opens onto a raised courtyard, was extended to the rear in 1950 . Openings with straight upper sills have been preserved in the front facade, which also run along a stall under the hayloft. The courtyard is closed to the south by a bake house that was completely rebuilt in 1865 with recycled material, probably from the old bake house, but also from an 18th century building that had a window with an arched lintel and a key with the date “BF / 1777” .

On a map from 1779 , further downstream on the other bank of the stream, a coppersmith's shop and then a tobacco mill can be found.

willem vandenameele