Little bread oven

Before the Revolution, these ovens were usually the property of the local lord. After the abolition of privileges, most of them became public. Their maintenance and use were put out to tender; in other words, they were leased to a private individual for a period of between one and three years. The successful bidder undertook to keep the oven open and to provide the firewood. In return, they received a share of the batch, whether bread or cakes. Gradually, around the 1930s, these ovens were leased and sometimes sold to professional bakers, who kneaded the dough themselves and took charge of selling the bread. Today, these ovens are no longer visible and the buildings have often been put to other uses, as is the case here. However, street names sometimes preserve their memory. In Bauduen, two ovens were in operation in succession, on the streets known as ‘petit four’ and ‘grand four’.