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SENNECEY HERITAGES

 

WASHHOUSES AND FOUNTAIN

The function of the washhouse was recognized as early as 1630, according to the historical dictionary of the French language. However, it was only at the end of the 18th century that washhouses appeared in response to a need for hygiene following the recurring epidemics that decimated the population.
 

Each hamlet in our commune has its washhouse, a quintessential social space where women gathered to do laundry and exchange all the latest village news.
 

 

La Farge 2 Pump

La Farge 2 Pump is an old, cast-iron hand water pump set against a stone wall in a rural setting, likely from the late 19th or early 20th century. It has a long lever handle and a spherical finial on top.
 

La Farge 1 Pump

La Farge 1 Pump is  a late-19th-century cast-iron water pump standing on a stone base, once serving the hamlet of La Farge. Its worn metal, small spout, and drainage grate reflect its original function as a rural water source.
 

Town Hall Pump

Town Hall Pump is a late-19th-century cast-iron manual water pump placed beside the town hall. Once vital for daily water needs, it now serves as a charming heritage feature decorated with flowers in its stone basin.
 

Barony Pump

Barony Pump is a historic stone water pump in Sennecey-le-Grand, built of local limestone and once used as a communal source of fresh water.
 

 

Ruffey Well

Ruffey Well is a stone well located in a grassy, tree-lined area of the Ruffey Hamlet in Sennecey-le-Grand. Built with rounded stone masonry, it remains a charming but neglected testimonial of local water infrastructure.
 

St Julien Square Well

St Julien Square Well is a small stone public well located in the little square near the St Julien church. Its carved stone structure and simple protective roof reflect traditional village water architecture of the 19th century.
 

St Julien Well

St Julien Well is a 19th-century stone well near the parish church, built with a monolithic rim and stone pilasters. Once serving the nearby washhouse.
 

 

 

Queen's Well Sens

Queen's Well Sens is a circular stone well topped by a double-dome cap and a carved stone sphere. It is still equipped with a wooden drum and crank.
 

 

 

Palette Fountain

Palette Fountain is a circular stone fountain house covered by a traditional Burgundian stone dome topped with a carved finial. Its protected opening, framed with cut stone and ironwork, once provided clean water to the Palette district of Sennecey-le-Grand.