The River Meden is a river in Nottinghamshire, England. Its source lies just north of Huthwaite, near the Derbyshire border, and from there it flows north east through Pleasley and Warsop before merging temporarily with the River Maun near Bothamsall. The rivers divide after a short distance and go on separately to a point near Markham Moor where they once more combine to form the River Idle.
The river was a source of water power for mills in Pleasley Vale from the 1760s until the 1980s. Three huge cotton mills and their associated mill ponds still dominate the Vale. The buildings were bought by Bolsover District Council in 1992, and have become a centre for light industry. On a much smaller scale was the water mill at Warsop, which still retains much of its internal machinery.
Route
The river rises as two main streams to the north of Huthwaite, above the contour, on the coal measures that run along the western edge of Nottinghamshire. The adjacent two-arched bridge was built in 1800, although it was modified somewhat in the twentieth century, and its function has been partially superseded by the A617 bypass. Next the river passes through Pleasley Vale, where the water has cut through the underlying limestone escarpment to form a deep, narrow valley, much of which is wooded. Several mill buildings were constructed here out of local limestone. Two large mill ponds remain, with two mill buildings, while a third building is located on a stream which flows from the north to join the Meden at this point. The mill bridge and weir are also listed structures. Turning eastwards, the river passes through Budby and into Thoresby Park, where it has been dammed to form a large ornamental lake called Thoresby Lake.
Below the lake, the river passes the hamlet of Perlethorpe, to be joined by the River Maun, flowing northwards, and here called Whitewater. The Robin Hood Way, a long-distance footpath, crosses soon afterwards, and a weir creates two channels again, the south one deemed to be the Maun and the north one the Meden. They remain roughly parallel as they are crossed by the B6387 road near Bothamsall, a freight railway and the Robin Hood Way again. They diverge to the west of Markham Moor roundabout on the A1 road, pass under the road, and combine to form the River Idle. Just below the junction, the River Poulter swells the flow.
thumb|left|The Upper Mill (now Mill 1) at Pleasley Vale, with the mill pond in the foreground
The Hollins family managed the mills for many years, but from the 1830s were joined by the Pagets, who introduced steam power to the mills. Fire destroyed the Upper Mill on 25 December 1840, but it was rebuilt by 1844. The Lower Mill also burnt down, and was replaced in 1847. Newer equipment fitted as part of the rebuilding enabled the mills to stay competitive. William Hollins lived at Pleasley Vale, and oversaw the expansion of the community, with the construction of more houses for the workers, the provision of public facilities including a school, wash house, and a cooperative society, and attention to leisure activities by the establishing of a Mechanics Institute, a library and a cricket club. A company farm was also established. St Chad's Chapel and the vicarage were commissioned by Charles Paget in 1876. The chapel was opened in 1881, but was reputedly built in 1861 at Stuffynwood, Derbyshire, and later moved to its present site. It has a small bell turret at its western end, and a number of its features mimic thirteenth and fourteenth century styles. Internally, there is a brass memorial to Paget and his wife Helen Elizabeth.
From the 1890s, the mills produced Viyella, a mixture of cotton with Merino wool, which produces a soft fabric. They continued to flourish, as various extensions show. The Upper Mill was extended in the 1890s, when a fourth storey was added, and again, probably in 1913, when extensions were added to the north and rear. A large combing shed, where cotton fibres were straightened and aligned prior to the production of fabric, was built just below it in 1913. This was a two-storey building, with a single storey wing at the back. It was extended in 1952, when an extra two floors were added to the main shed, and a three-storey block was added at the side. At this point, it became a mill, and is now called Mill 2. The Lower Mill was also extended, but because it was much larger than the Upper Mill when it was built, and the extensions were relatively small, it retains more of its original character. There were 980 workers employed at the site in 1934, but decline gradually set in. The first workers houses were demolished in 1961, to be followed by the school, the baths and the Mechanics Institute. By 1987, production had moved abroad, and the mills closed. Bolsover District Council bought the mill buildings in 1992, using compulsory purchase powers, and they have been revitalised, to be used for light industry and offices. The mill ponds have also survived.
The water quality of the Meden and its tributaries was as follows in 2019.
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Water quality in the upper river has improved but has deteriorated in the lower river, as both were moderate in 2016. Like most 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.