Essence of place
Nestled close to the town and country mansion of Petworth lies an enchanted stretch of the River Rother (the West Sussex Rother, not the river of the same name to its east), populated plentifully with brown trout. Kingfishers flit down soft banks lined with statuesque alders, willow warblers lilt pleasantly through the day, buttercups spangle the water meadows gold in their season. For several decades in the 18th century the river was navigable by trading vessels, and
