The
River Rother flows from
Empshott in
Hampshire, England, to
Stopham in
West Sussex, where it joins the
River Arun. 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.