Moulin de la Siagnole, Watermill in Mons, France.

Moulin de la Siagnole is a group of former communal mills on the Siagnole, 481 m up, 2.4 km south of Mons by the old path (now GR49). It comprises a double oil and essence mill and a wheat mill. The rough light stone building has two arched openings at ground level, a rectangular window above and a pitched roof; scaffolding stands against its front.

The first written record of the communal mill dates from 3 August 1551, when Henri de Villeneuve, known as 'le cruel', ceded his wheat and oil mills on the Siagne to the community of Mons. His wife Constance Fernandez later had the transaction annulled. The mills were bought after World War II by Jean Lambert, the village's former miller, who kept them running.

Locals call the mills "moulin de fer" (iron mill), and the name "engeins" appears in the 1551 deed by which Henri de Villeneuve ceded the wheat and oil mills to the community of Mons. Each June the mills open for the fête des moulins, when the former miller Jean Lambert's machinery is set running again.

The mill opens to visitors during the annual Country Heritage and Mills Days celebration held in mid-June. This is when the equipment operates and you can watch the mechanisms in action.

The mills are also known as "moulin de fer" (iron mill), a name tied to the 1551 deed by which Henri de Villeneuve ceded the two wheat mills on the Siagne to the community of Mons. His wife, Constance Fernandez, had the transaction annulled, but the name survived.