Henmore Brook

Henmore Brook
River Henmore
Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Country	England
Counties	Derbyshire
Tributaries
- left	Dayfield Brook
- right	Kniveton Brook, Parkside Brook
Source	Stainsborough Hall
- location	Hopton, Derbyshire
Mouth	Confluence with the River Dove
- location	Church Mayfield, Staffordshire
- coordinates	52°59′57″N 1°45′46″W / 52.99917°N 1.76278°W / 52.99917; -1.76278Coordinates: 52°59′57″N 1°45′46″W / 52.99917°N 1.76278°W / 52.99917; -1.76278
Length	20 km (12 mi)
Basin	46 km2 (18 sq mi)
Discharge	for Ashbourne
- average	0.43 m3/s (15 cu ft/s)
- max	33.7 m3/s (1,190 cu ft/s)
Mouth shown in Derbyshire
Progression : Henmore - Dove - Trent - Humber

The Henmore Brook or the River Henmore is a tributary of the River Dove in Derbyshire, England, and is 20 km (12 miles) in length.

In its upper reaches it is known as the Scow brook, much of which was inundated by the Carsington Water reservoir in 1991. It becomes the Henmore brook in the middle reaches, where there are three tributaries called the Parkside, Kniveton and Dayfield brooks.

The brook drains a catchment of mixed geology, which has an area of 46 square kilometres (18 square miles). It flows through the market town of Ashbourne, where flooding of the town centre by the brook has historically caused significant damage. The brook is designated as a Main river by the Environment Agency from the outflow at Carsington Water to the confluence with the River Dove.

The source of the brook is at the base of Soldiers Knoll near Stainsborough Hall, from where it flows west until it reaches the upper end of Carsington Water near Hopton. It reappears at the outlet of the dam, and flows in a south-westerly direction past the villages of Hognaston, Atlow, and Sturston until it reaches the town of Ashbourne. Downstream of the town it passes the village of Clifton before reaching its confluence with the River Dove at Church Mayfield.

There has been a long history of human presence and settlement in the Henmore valley, with many Palaeolithic sites both in the north near Carsington, with round barrows and standing stones, and other tumuli in the sandstone hills south of Ashbourne. A rare Acheulean stone axe was found at Hopton.