The Watermill of Agualva ( pt, Azenha da Ribeira da Agualva) is a

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

located in the civil parish of Vila Nova, in the municipality of

Praia da Vitoria Praia (, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.Terceira Terceira () is a volcanic island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 53,311 inhabitants in an area of approximately . It is the location ...

, in the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

. It is part of the inventory of historical and religious buildings registered as an ''Inventário do Património Imóvel dos Açores'' ( en, Inventory of Heritage Buildings of the Azores) dating back to the eighteenth century.

Architecture

Its designation as a buildings of ''historical significance'' includes two structures: a watermill/home, and an ancillary building, at one time used as a barn, located along the right margin of the Ribeira da Agualva and roadway. The watermill/house is a two-story structure, with only the residential floor visible from street-level, with an outdoor oven (constructed in a semi-circular shape) and rectangular chimney (on the left-side of the building). This simple structure was built from local volcanic rock and stone from other ruins, and painted

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

white. The spans are composed of curved wicker, and the windows are

guillotine A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at t ...

-style single-pain double-hung sash. The roof is covered in traditional Azorean half-cane roof tiles with a simple awning. One of the exterior walls shows signs of the watermill's function, and site of the waterwheel. To the left of the main house/watermill is a simple rectangular building of one floor, used as barn (now garage or storage) of the same material as the main house (no windows, but with the same rock/stone construction and roof tile). At one time it is likely that this building was used to house domesticated animals or storage of hay. While the building is in reasonable condition, its use as a mill and associated mechanisms have been removed. Still remains an iconic example of this type of structure, common in the Azores until the late 19th century.

References

;Notes ;Sources * {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017 Buildings and structures in Praia da Vitória