Guided tour of the five washhouses in Fontaines

Park in the town hall square.
(S/E) Head to the town hall fountain in the centre of the car park: it dates from 1852 and its water comes from a catchment 800 metres down the hill at Saint-Hilaire. Walk up the Grande Rue, on the left, for about sixty metres.

(1) Turn left onto Rue du Moulin and stop at the Moulin washhouse, which dates from 1924. Contrary to its name, the washhouse was not used for washing but for rinsing laundry. As washing involved heating the water, it was easier to do this at home. Walk up Rue du Moulin and look out for the water reservoir that used to supply a mill (a stone house on the right). There were once as many as six mills in Fontaines.

(2) Once at the end of the street, turn right onto Rue Chaumont: the well in the square is one of the village’s seven public wells. Continue along Rue Chaumont for about 650 metres, following one of the village’s four streams. Along the way, you can see a votive tower built in 1862 high up on the hill, as well as some old quarries. These date back to the Gallo-Roman period and were in operation until the 1970s. The stone was exported throughout France; the gates of Autun, dating from the Gallo-Roman period, were built using this stone.

(3) At the entrance to the Place des Platanes, look out for the calvary (votive cross) on the right-hand side of Rue Protheau. Opposite, on the other side of Rue Chaumont, stands the birthplace of François Protheau, a 19th-century painter and sculptor who was one of Emperor Napoleon III’s favourites. Follow Rue Protheau to the end, then turn right and continue to No. 77, where the house of Antoine Chauche, a 19th-century sculptor, stands. The sculptures on this house are attributed to him.

Turn back and walk up the Grande Rue to the Saint-Nicolas washhouse, which dates from 1832. It is the oldest washhouse in the village, situated in the Saint-Nicolas district, home to numerous springs. Leave the washhouse and walk up the street to the left to the calvary, one of a dozen recorded in Fontaines.

(4) Turn right into Rue Morantin, walk for about fifty metres, and look out for a typical Burgundian house on the right at the junction. The rear forms the ornamental garden, whilst the front comprises the farmhouse section. Note the iron rings set into the wall, which were used to tether horses. At the rear of the house stands an ornamental tower.
Continue straight on along Rue Morantin for about 1.2 km.

(5) At the bottom of the hill, turn left to discover one of the village’s springs, situated about fifty metres away: the Source du Paradis. Retrace your steps and turn left: in this area, as you walk, you’ll find, in order, a sheltered well on the right, a washhouse built into a natural basin on the right (closed by a door), and a strange engraving in the wall almost opposite the washhouse. Leave the washhouse, rejoin the route to the right, and turn right at the junction where a wayside cross stands. Turn right onto Rue Chamilly and head for the washhouse of the same name, situated on the corner of Chemin du Guet: this washhouse dates from 1849 and was in use until the 1980s.

(6) On leaving the washhouse, turn right and head for the Chamilly mill: the reservoir was used to power this mill; listen carefully and you’ll hear the water singing. Continue straight on for about 300 metres, then follow the path to the right. After the last house on the right (No. 7), carry on to the left along the Chemin de la Niche, so named because of a niche built after the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 to thank the Virgin Mary for sparing the village from the war. Carry on along the Chemin de la Niche, then turn right, then immediately right again onto Rue du 19 mars 1965. Go to the end of the street.

Turn left and you’ll reach the junction with a cross. You are now at the ‘paquier des champs’. ‘Le Paquier’ is an old unit of measurement, representing the area of land required to feed a cow during the summer or the summer grazing season; this area varies greatly from village to village. Carry on to the right, passing the emergency services centre; you’ll see an old bread oven and then the former town hall and school, built in 1848 by the architect Mr Lazare Narjoux.

(7) Walk to the war memorial standing in the centre of the roundabout. This distinctive monument was designed by the architect Edmond Malo. Continue straight ahead towards Avenue de la Gare and join the avenue. Trains have been running from the station since 1849. 200 metres past the station, on the right, note the 15th-century round tower. One of the village’s six mills also stood on this spot. Then head towards the Chocho Bridge, named after the architect who built it. Pass under the bridge, turn right as you emerge, and head towards the Quart Canot washhouse. This washhouse was restored in 1994.”

(8) Pass under the Chocho Bridge again, take the Grande Rue opposite, and look out for a 19th-century outdoor wine storehouse on an estate on the left. Further on, head up Rue de l’Église to the left, then turn left again onto Rue de l’Égalité to reach the 12th-century church, which is open to visitors from May to September.

(9) Walk down Rue de l’Égalité, continue straight on alongside the town hall wall, then turn left to return to the car park (S/E).

(S/E) There are public toilets at the start of the walk in the car park.