Sunrise over The South Downs
Here’s the view at 7 o’clock this morning over the Rother Valley near Midhurst. The South Downs stretching off into the distance – and all set to be the warmest day of the year so far!
The River Rother runs from Empshott in Hampshire to Stopham in West Sussex where it meets the River Arun. Dating back to the 11th Century, the river upstream from Midhurst was used extensively to power water mills, and many buildings and bridges still exist from the fifteenth and sixteenth century.
The river from Midhurst to the River Arun was used for navigation. In 1794 eight locks were built to allow sizeable boats to use the river, but with the opening of the Mid-Sussex Railway in 1859 the locks and the navigation fell into disrepair.
The water quality of the River Rother is very good. The river is fed by aquifers and the water is extracted and used in the local public water supplies.
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Bepton Ranger 