Pont-levis métallique de Magné

The use of the wooden bridge, built in 1853 to replace the ferry, was prohibited in 1896 following the rupture of an oak plank forming the deck, under the passage of a heavy cart. The current steel drawbridge, dating from 1901, supports a 10 ton load. Its mobile part allows boats that once used to sail through 9 locks from Niort to Marans to export salt, wine, eels and pottery. In 1800, the prefect Dupin wrote: "Merchants from Limoges and du Blanc came to buy the eels they took with 10 or 15 carts at a time. After they had killed them in salt, they delivered them to the dealers, who, in fairs and markets, roasted them outdoors…”. Magné’s pottery was an old local industry that made utilitarian, decorative and devotional items sold to pilgrims in Ste-Macrine.