River Rother, West Sussex
Rother | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | England |
Counties | West Sussex, Hampshire |
District | Chichester |
Towns | Petersfield, Midhurst |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Empshott, Hampshire |
Mouth | River Arun |
• location | Pulborough, West Sussex |
Length | 52 km (32 mi) |
Discharge | |
• location | Hardham |
• average | 4.97 m3/s (176 cu ft/s) |
• minimum | 0.76 m3/s (27 cu ft/s)13 July 2005 |
Discharge | |
• location | Iping Mill |
• average | 2.27 m3/s (80 cu ft/s) |
Discharge | |
• location | Princes Marsh |
• average | 0.51 m3/s (18 cu ft/s) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | River Lod |
• right | Costers Brook |
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The River Rother flows from Empshott in Hampshire, England, to Stopham in West Sussex, where it joins the River Arun. At 52 kilometres (32 mi) long, most of the river lies within West Sussex except for the first 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) which lie in Hampshire.[1] The upper river, from its source to Midhurst, has been used to power watermills, with the earliest recorded use being in 1086, when the Domesday survey was conducted. Although none are still operational, many of the buildings which housed the mills still exist, and in some cases, still retain their milling machinery. This upper section is also noted for a number of early bridges, which have survived since their construction in the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
The lower river, from Midhurst to its junction with the River Arun, has been used for navigation. Boats used the section from the Arun to Fittleworth following improvements made to the Arun in 1615, and after the Arun Navigation was completed in 1790, the Earl of Egremont made the river navigable up to Midhurst by constructing eight locks and some small cuts. The work was completed in 1794, and many of the bridges built at that time still survive. With the opening of the Mid-Sussex Railway branch to Midhurst in 1859, traffic declined, and commercial use of the river had ceased by the 1880s. Pleasure boats continued to be used on the river for many years, and published accounts of journeys along the decaying navigation appeared in 1914 and 1920. The navigation was officially abandoned in 1936, after an undergraduate pointed out that it was still a public right of way.
The river flows through the
History
Following improvements to the River Arun in 1615, which allowed boats to reach Pallingham, they could also navigate part of the Rother, as far upstream as
The river's lower section, below Midhurst, was made navigable by the construction of the Western Rother Navigation in 1794.[3] The length of the navigation was 11.25 miles (18.11 km) of which less than 2 miles (3.2 km) consisted of new cuts, with the rest following the existing channel. It rose through 54 feet (16 m) from Stopham to Midhurst by a series of eight locks, and cost £13,300 to build. Traffic consisted of coal transported up-river, with cargoes of timber, corn and Petworth marble in the other direction.[4] A branch connected it to Petworth by the short Petworth Canal, which was 1.25 miles (2.0 km) long with two locks, and terminated at Haslingbourne to the south of the town.[5] It was opened in 1793, having cost the Earl £5,000 to build, but only lasted for a few years, until a turnpike road was diverted. This made access to Petworth easier, and the canal ceased to be used.[4]
Unlike many canals, where navvies were brought into the neighbourhood to carry out the work, the Earl employed local men on the project, most of them already employed by him, and a clergyman praised him for this when writing in 1808, as it led to much less disruption, but provided increased income for those who worked on the scheme. Wages rose from 8 or 9 shillings (40-45p) per week to 14 or 15 shillings (70-75p).[6] During his life, the Earl invested some £100,000 in waterways, some in his native county of Sussex, but also in attempts to build a canal from London to Portsmouth. Between 1802 and 1831, the average income from the canal was around £550 per year. Competition arrived in 1859, when the Mid-Sussex Railway opened a line from Horsham through Pulborough to Petworth. Traffic declined, and by the 1880s, the navigation was no longer used by commercial boats, although it was not officially abandoned until 1936.[7]
Closure
Despite the navigation being closed, a guide to Midhurst published in 1895 advertised that skiffs could be hired, and fishing could be enjoyed. The boats were hired out by a plumber called William Port, and his business continued to prosper until 1912, when his boathouse burned down. Rowing boats were also available for hire at Coultershaw and Fittleworth.[8] Another book called A New Oarsman's Guide, published in 1896, suggested that the river could be canoed from Iping to the Arun, a distance of 19 miles (31 km), when there was sufficient water. By that time, none of the locks were workable, and boats had to be carried around them.[9]
In 1887, part of the river bank near Todham Lock, which bordered the Cowdray estate of the
P Bonthron, who published a book entitled My Holidays on Inland Waterways in 1916, described a journey down the river that he had made with friends in 1908, in a boat hired from William Port at Midhurst. They reached Arundel on the River Arun after two days, from where the boat was sent back to Midhurst by train.[12] Another account of a similar journey made in 1914 by Eleanor Barnes and a friend appeared in As the Water Flows, first published in 1920, which described canoe journeys on the rivers of southern England made by her over a period of seven or eight years.[13] The warrant of abandonment was obtained jointly by the estates at Petworth and Cowdray after an Oxford undergraduate called Roger Sellman pointed out that the river was still officially a right of way, and that anyone could therefore offer to pay the appropriate tolls to use a boat on it, and expect the owners to rebuild the locks. The powers of the Railway & Canal Traffic Act 1888 were invoked to declare that the navigation was no longer necessary, and despite objections from the River Arun Catchment Board and a canoe club, the warrant was granted on 15 April 1936.[14] However, the Environment Agency noted in 2003 that although there used to be navigation rights on the river, "the existing status of the navigation is unknown."[15]
Hydrology
The river flows through the South Downs, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and since 2011, a designated national park. There are two large aquifers in the area, one consisting of chalk, to the south of the river valley, and the other the Lower Greensand Group, underlying the whole of the river. The aquifers are separated by a Gault Formation, which consists of clay. At the western edge of the region, both the chalk and the gault turn to the north, creating a scarp slope.[16] The base flow of the river consists of water from the Lower Greensand aquifer, and from springs along the bottom of the chalk scarp slope. These help to maintain the flows in the river during the summer months,[17] although there have been significant periods where flows have been low, notably in the drought of the early 1990s, and again in 1995–96. These led to declines in the populations of the macro-invertebrates which are used to measure the health of a river, but these have subsequently recovered.[18] In order to monitor the hydrology, the Environment Agency has a series of observation boreholes along the valley, and maintains gauging stations at Princes Marsh, close to the source, at Iping Mill, at Halfway Bridge on the River Lod just above its junction with the Rother, and at Hardham, just before the river joins the Arun.[19]
Flows in the river are swelled by discharges from several sewage treatment works. The three largest are at Princes Marsh, Petersfield and Ambersham, all of which have outflows between 0.22 and 1.10 million imperial gallons (1 and 5 Ml) per day, with another three discharging between 0.022 and 0.220 million imperial gallons (0.1 and 1 Ml) per day at Rogate, Coultershaw and Fittleworth.
The quality of the water is generally good, helped by the fact that the groundwater in the chalk aquifer is of very high quality. However, some of the small streams in the upper reaches are polluted by discharges of effluent which are not licensed, and there are areas where the water in the aquifer, and hence the river, has raised levels of nitrates, largely caused by agricultural fertilisers. The Environment Agency has produced improvement plans to address a number of sources of both agricultural and urban pollution.[18] Natural flows in the river are affected by the abstraction of water for the public water supply. There are many locations at which water is abstracted along the course of the river, including a site in the upper reaches where more than 1.1 million imperial gallons (5 Ml) per day is abstracted from the aquifer, and another where the volume exceeds 2.2 million imperial gallons (10 Ml). Just above the junction with the River Arun, the Hardham Water Treatment Works removes more than 2.2 million imperial gallons (10 Ml) per day from the river.[23]
Etymology
The river takes its name from
Route
The route description has been split into two sections. From its source to Midhurst, the river has powered several mills, but has never been navigable. Below Midhurst, it was navigable until the navigation closed in the 1880s. There were eight locks on this section, some of which bypassed additional water mills.
Source to Midhurst
The River Rother rises from several springs near
Tillmore Brook joins from the west, and the course turns to the east. At Durleighmarsh, a hamlet which forms part of the
To the north of Dumpford, a hamlet in the civil parish of
Continuing eastwards, the river is crossed by Iping Bridge at Iping, a narrow stone bridge with five arches dating from the seventeenth century.[38] To the west of the bridge is the site of Iping watermill. A mill was recorded there in the Domesday survey, completed in 1086. By 1665, there were the remains of a fulling mill at the site, and a wheat-mill and malt-mill, both part of the same building. It became a paper mill in the eighteenth century, and continued to operate until it was destroyed by fire in 1930.[39] At Stedham, part of the civil parish of Stedham with Iping, Stedham Lane crosses the river on a stone bridge with six segmental arches. Five of them date from the seventeenth century, with one later addition.[40] The river then makes a large loop to the north, where Stedham Mill was situated. The mill building has been demolished, but the mill house is a listed structure.[41] After the loop, Woolbeding Bridge, on the northern Edge of Midhurst, dates from the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries. It has four segmental arches, was restored in 1919, and is a grade II* listed structure.[42]
After another loop to the north, the river passes between
Midhurst to mouth
The terminus of the Rother Navigation was on a side stream, at the southern edge of Midhurst. There was a wharf and basin, close to a road which is still called The Wharf, and an ashlar bridge crosses the navigation between the wharf and the junction with the main river. It was built in 1794, and was restored in 1977 to commemorate the silver jubilee of
A widening in the modern river, close to the dismantled
Shopham Lock was another where the lock cut was built across a large meander to the north. The bridge at the tail of the lock is built from red and grey brick, and has a single, round-headed arch. It dates from the construction of the navigation, and is virtually unaltered. Nearby, the Petworth Canal headed northwards to Haslingbourne Bridge.[56] Below the end of the cut, the river is joined by the stream from Burton Mill Pond, which supplied an iron forge built in 1789.[57] It is crossed by Shopham Bridge, built in the nineteenth century from red brick with grey headers and a parapet in stone, with three segmental arches.[58] At Lower Fittleworth, there is another mill building, although it is unused and in poor condition. It was built in 1628 and enlarged in 1742. It stands in the grounds of the mill house, which was rebuilt in 1913.[59] The lock cut ran along the south-western edge of the site.[60] Fittleworth Bridge consists of a southern section, originally built in the sixteenth century, which was rebuilt between 1717 and 1739, and modified when the navigation was built, to enable boats to pass through the centre arch. A north section, adjacent to the millpond, dates from 1811 to 1812.[61]
Near its junction with the River Arun, the river loops to the south in a large meander. A cut ran from the start of the meander to join the Arun above the original junction, with a lock towards the downstream end. The meander fed Hardham Corn Mill. A lock bypassed the mill and the millstream, to enable boats to reach the Hardham Tunnel cut, which headed south from a junction above the mill.[60] The Tunnel Branch was destroyed by the construction of a water treatment works, and the modern weir near the mouth is much closer to the junction than the lock was.[26]
Conservation
The Arun & Rother Rivers Trust (ARRT) was set up in 2011 with the objective of enhancing and protecting the river and other connected waterways. It is a charity with further objectives concerning education, fisheries, biodiversity, access and pollution.[62] The organisation is registered as a limited company,[63] and was asked in 2012 to produce a Catchment Management plan by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It worked with the Arun and Rother Connections (ARC) Partnership and the South Downs National Park Authority to ensure that local opinion was adequately represented in the document.[64]
Water quality
The Environment Agency measure the water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of
The water quality of the River Rother system was as follows in 2019.
Section | Ecological Status | Chemical Status | Length | Catchment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Western Rother (Upstream Petersfield)[66] | Poor | Fail | 9.4 miles (15.1 km) | 21.91 square miles (56.7 km2) |
Stanbridge Stream[67] | Moderate | Fail | 3.6 miles (5.8 km) | 9.44 square miles (24.4 km2) |
Western Rother Durford[68] | Moderate | Fail | 3.0 miles (4.8 km) | 3.83 square miles (9.9 km2) |
Harting Stream[69] | Moderate | Fail | 3.8 miles (6.1 km) | 4.43 square miles (11.5 km2) |
Elsted Stream[70] | Moderate | Fail | 4.9 miles (7.9 km) | 5.16 square miles (13.4 km2) |
Hammer Stream (W. Sussex)[71] | Moderate | Fail | 3.2 miles (5.1 km) | 9.36 square miles (24.2 km2) |
Minsted Stream[72] | Moderate | Fail | 5.4 miles (8.7 km) | 7.01 square miles (18.2 km2) |
Lod[73] | Poor | Fail | 13.8 miles (22.2 km) | 20.58 square miles (53.3 km2) |
Haslingbourne Stream[74] | Moderate | Fail | 5.5 miles (8.9 km) | 6.07 square miles (15.7 km2) |
Western Rother[75] | Moderate | Fail | 34.8 miles (56.0 km) | 51.30 square miles (132.9 km2) |
The reasons for the quality being less than good include sewage discharge affecting most of the river, some physical modification of the channel, the presence of North American signal crayfish, which are an invasive species, and runoff of chemicals as a result of agriculture and land management. Like many rivers in the UK, the chemical status changed from good to fail in 2019, due to the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and mercury compounds, neither of which had previously been included in the assessment.
Points of interest
Bibliography
- Armstrong, J.R. (1971). A History of Sussex. Sussex: Phillimore. ISBN 978-0-85033-185-1.
- Bruce, Pamela (2000). Northchapel A Village History. Northchapel Parish Council. ISBN 978-0-9538291-0-1.
- CAMS (2003). "The Arun and Western Streams Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy" (PDF). Environment Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2012.
- Goodsall, R H (1962). The Arun and Western Rother. Constable. ASIN B0000CLL2U.
- Hadfield, Charles (1969). The Canals of South and South-East England. David and Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-4693-8.
- Jerrome, Peter (2002). Petworth. From the beginnings to 1660. Petworth: The Window Press.
- Marsh, T; Hannaford, J, eds. (2008). UK Hydrometric Register (PDF). Hydrological data UK series. Wallingford, Oxfordshire: Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. ISBN 978-0-9557672-2-7. Archived from the original(PDF) on 31 October 2014.
- Salzman, L.F., ed. (1953). A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 4: The Rape of Chichester. Victoria County History [ISBN unspecified].
- Vine, P.A.L. (1995). London's Lost Route to Midhurst: The Earl of Egremont's Navigation. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7509-0968-6.
- Vine, P.A.L. (1985). West Sussex Waterways. Middleton Press. ISBN 978-0-906520-24-6.
- Young, Rev A (1808). A General View of the Agriculture of Sussex.
References
- ^ "River Rother, West Sussex". Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ Hadfield 1969, pp. 126–127.
- ^ Armstrong 1971, pp. 144–145
- ^ a b Hadfield 1969, p. 127
- ^ Vine 1985, p. 30
- ^ Young 1808 quoted in Hadfield 1969, p. 127
- ^ Hadfield 1969, pp. 127–128.
- ^ Vine 1995, pp. 140–141.
- ^ Vine 1995, p. 141.
- ^ Vine 1995, p. 144.
- ^ Vine 1995, pp. 144–146.
- ^ Vine 1995, pp. 147–151.
- ^ Vine 1995, pp. 151, 154.
- ^ Vine 1995, pp. 156–157.
- ^ CAMS 2003, p. 3.
- ^ CAMS 2003, pp. 3, 5.
- ^ CAMS 2003, p. 20.
- ^ a b CAMS 2003, p. 12
- ^ CAMS 2003, p. 6.
- ^ CAMS 2003, p. 9.
- ^ CAMS 2003, p. 11.
- ^ CAMS 2003, pp. 11–12.
- ^ CAMS 2003, pp. 8, 20.
- ^ Bruce 2000, p. 5
- ^ Jerrome 2002
- ^ a b c d e f Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 map (available here)
- ^ Historic England. "Greatham Millhouse, Mill and Barn (1237250)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Durford Abbey (1015917)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Durford Mill House (1354721)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Durford Bridge, Harting Road (1217009)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Habin Bridge (1217003)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Terwick Mill, Terwick Lane (1221355)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Terwick Mill House, Terwick Lane (1221285)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Trotton Bridge (1221337)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Abbey House (1275203)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Chithurst Church, Chithurst Lane (1221269)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Chithurst Bridge, Chithurst Lane (1217787)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Iping Bridge (1217259)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Salzman 1953, pp. 63–65.
- ^ Historic England. "Stedham Bridge, Stedham Lane (1217302)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Stedham Mill House (1275503)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Woolbeding Bridge (1221570)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Bridge over the River Rother, Easebourne Lane (1354687)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "North Mill, Easebourne Lane (1026035)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Cowdray (1017500)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Motte and Bailey Castle on St Ann's Hill, Midhurst (1012176)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Bridge on former Rother Navigation, The Wharf (1392319)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ a b Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 map, 1874, available here
- ^ Historic England. "Ambersham Bridge (1025971)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ a b c Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 map, 1875
- ^ Historic England. "Lodsbridge Mill (1034400)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Lods Mill Cottage (1354732)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Motte castle south of Lodsbridge Mill (1012257)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Lods Bridge (1025889)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ "Coultershaw Beam Pump". Sussex Mills Group. pp. 1–3. Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
- ^ Historic England. "Bridge on former Rother Navigation (1392320)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Burton Mill (1237921)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Shopham Bridge (1265533)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Historic England. "Fittleworth Mill (1026498)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ a b Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 map, 1876
- ^ Historic England. "Fittleworth Bridge, north and south (1238820)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ "Home Page". Arun & Rother Rivers Trust. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- ^ "WebCheck". Companies House. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- ^ "How can we keep our local rivers and wetlands healthy?". Sussex Angling. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- ^ "Glossary (see Biological quality element; Chemical status; and Ecological status)". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 12 July 2018. Text was copied from this source, which is available under an Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
- ^ "Western Rother (Upstream Petersfield)". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- ^ "Stanbridge Stream". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Western Rother Durford". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Harting Stream". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Elsted Stream". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Hammer Stream (W. Sussex)". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Minsted Stream". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Lod". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Haslingbourne Stream". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Western Rother". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 12 July 2018.