Sarsa de Surta

Sarsa de Surta is a village in the Sobrarbe municipality. From L'Ainsa take the A-2205 towards Guaso and Bárcabo. Past Arcusa (about 20 km) turn right where Sarsa and the Parque Natural de Guara are signposted. Follow the narrow road until you reach the small parking space with some information panels about the site. The mill is on the other side of the river, the río Vero (1).

Pictures: 01.i.1994, 31.xii.1994, 21.viii.2016, 22.i.2022

Molino harinero

Water works

Dam & Canal

(1) Río Vero with the mill of Pedro Buil
as seen from the road between Paúles de Sarsa and Las Bellostas — 2016

The mill is known as the Mill of Pedro Buil because it always belonged to and was run by this same family from Sarsa. The mill was in service until 1971. More about its history can be found in the article by Javier Valenzuela (†).

The mill got a new owner in 1990 and in August 1998 the first works were carried out to rehabilitate the mill. Notice that we show several pictures of the original situation before the date of these works.

(2) Entrance with pillars of the porch — 2022.

(3) The rehabilitation outside is ready — 1998.

While he renovation largely respected the original situation, we can note some changes.

only the pillars of the porch are preserved, its roof was not repaired (4 vs 1-3)
the blind window above the mouth of the wheel-house (cárcavo) is now open (8 vs 3)
there is no trace left of the other window which was filled with loose stones (4 vs 3)
the chimney above the cárcavo is gone (8 vs 3)

The last change is related to the removal of the fireplace inside. Before the works a small part (ca 5sqm) of the workplace was separated from the rest and equipped with a fireplace (7).

The interior of the mill was also rehabilitated and apart from the original equipment, there is now also an exhibition of old tools, hence the notion museo etnológico.

(4) The mill before its rehabilitation. Notice the wall of the mill pond at the back — 1994.

(5) Interior before its rehabilitation; almost ready to run again — 1994.

(6) — 1994.

The situation inside was unexpectedly good (5). The whole would benefit from a thorough cleaning, but the equipment was complete. We recognize the stone crane with its bails (grua or cabria), and the wooden box to collect the flour ([hf]arinal). On the hurse we recognize the stone casing (guardapolvo) with the hopper (tolva) on its horse (caballete).

On the steps lies a part of the grain feeding system. Notice that it is a so called silent feeding system which works with a small hopper (tolva chica) below the main hopper placed centered above the eye of the runner stone. This is the normal feeding system in the wide region.

The other system where the grain is brought to the stones with a feed-shoe (canalete) and shaking device (tarabilla, triquitraque) and where the feeding hopper is placed out of the center is almost absent from the region. We have encountered this kind of device only in Lacabezonada, and in Ainielle, the smallest and simplest mills of all.

At first glance it looks like there is no restitution channel anymore (8). But from inside the cárcavo one can see that there is a tunnel running under the full width of the field up to the río Vero (see waterworks 13 and 22). We remember a similar situation from the mill of Sarvisé. However the passage there is noticeably higher for about the same width.

(7) Tolva before the fire place — 1994.

(8) Outlet of the wheel-house — 1994.

(9) Year 1786 above the entrance — 2016.

(10) — 1994.

(11) — 1994.

(12) — 1994.

Molino harinero

Water works

Dam & Canal

† Valenzuela Recia, Javier — 2001 — Museo Etnológico Molino de Pedro Buil.
Tierra Bucho (6)11: p. 3–33.