Le puits de l’Agaret

It is built where water flows from a natural spring due to the impermeable rock formation. The underground spring flows from the high ground on the north-eastern outskirts of Brem. This spring has been known for a very long time, at least since the 4th century, Gallo-Roman times, as coins have been found there. The purity of the water is well known, so people believed that it had curative properties, something that was frowned upon by the church.
Eventually, a well was built over the spring and a hand pump installed probably just after 1851. Further work was carried out in 1874 to enlarge the well and a wash house was built with two basins. The basins had wooden planks installed at one end to allow the water to drain away.
Remarkably for the time, a small rectangular building made of local rough stone was built next to the basins to heat the water. This building housed three sections with water basins that could be heated by fires underneath. There were three chimneys to vent the smoke. The two basins were supplied with hot and cold water. One man was responsible for lighting the fires and keeping them going.
The widows of the village offered a washing service, and were called "Lavandières". They had a wooden wheelbarrow that they pushed around the village to collect the dirty washing of the local population. The washing was done by hand using Marseille soap, and when it was finished, the laundry was loaded back into the wheelbarrow, which was built in such a way that any excess water could drain away on the return journey.
It was really hard, heavy work. Once the washing was finished, the dirty water was released from the basins by removing the drainage plates.
The daily routine for the Brem families was therefore to go to the well and collect fresh water in jugs. It was also hard work.
After school, the children would gather and play in the ponds with the water. It was also a meeting place where perhaps some romances began.
From the mid-1940s, the well and washhouse were abandoned as lifestyles changed with the introduction of running water into homes.
Dedicated to all the old families of Brem and in particular to Mrs Beatrix BOUJASSON and Mrs Marie-France CLOUET.