Valence d'Agen's washhouses

The Théron wash house is the oldest wash house in the city, remarkable for its circular roof. It is difficult to give the precise date of its construction, but it must be at the end of the 18th century. From 1661, the fountain was the subject of repairs by the consuls and a stone engraved with their names and with the coat of arms of the Lord Marquis of Valence was erected above the fountain (stone which has now disappeared). In 1880, the poor condition of the wash house required repairs: the Municipal Council decided that it should be tiled rather than cemented because of the frost. In 1906, the roof was redone. The last restoration dates from July 2003.

The Saint-Bernard wash house had a drinking trough. Its construction, shortly after 1807, coincided with the filling of the Plaça ponds (current Place Jean-Baptiste Chaumeil). To replace thesemuddy ponds, the Municipal Council considered “that it was important to establish a public wash house and a watering trough for the horses of individuals and imperial police officers, above the Saint-Bernard fountain”. The construction of this wash house was estimated at 3,500 francs. In 1924, the semi-circular roof was added “to protect the washers from bad weather during the bad season”. Since then, the washhouse has undergone various developments, the roof and bricks have recently been restored.

The Pé de Gleize wash house dates from the 19th century, it is the only one of the three washhouses not included in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments. It is built in a more traditional format than the others. Its location nonetheless makes it a very pleasant site!

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