Aqueduc de Contray, Gallo-Roman aqueduct

The Aqueduc de Contray is a Roman water channel near Loches that transported water from a natural source over roughly one and a half kilometers to supply a local villa. The surviving remains consist of four stone pillars standing about 13 feet (4 meters) tall, which once supported the arches of the system.

The aqueduct is dated to the 1st century and was probably built to supply a villa a few hundred metres west of the remains; its catchment was likely the source d'Orfonds in the forest of Loches, about 1.3 km east. Coins of Hadrian to Gallien found at Contray suggest use into the late 3rd century. In 1869 the Société française d'archéologie bought the ruins, and in 1970 it gave them to the town of Loches.

The name Contray is shared by the hamlet, the stream at the valley bottom and the aqueduct itself. The site lies beside the Forêt de Loches, and the presumed source, the Source d'Orfonds, is also within that forest. The Société française d'archéologie bought the ruins in 1869 during its congress in Loches and gave them to the town of Loches in 1970.

The site is accessible via walking paths and is best visited on a dry day to avoid mud and wet conditions. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended, and visitors should walk carefully around the stone structures rather than climbing on them.

The water likely flowed underground after a certain point as the ground rises, which means many parts of the structure remain hidden beneath the earth and unexplored. No recent excavations have taken place, so future archaeological work could uncover more details about how it was built and used.