| River Poulter | |
|---|---|
 The ford at Crookford, where a track crosses the Poulter | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | England |
| County | Nottinghamshire |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Scarcliffe |
| Mouth | River Idle |
• location | Elkesley |
The River Poulter which rises near Scarcliffe in Derbyshire, England is a tributary river of the River Idle in Nottinghamshire. It supplied power to mills along its route, most of which are now gone, although their mill ponds remain. Cuckney mill building is used as a primary school. The river has been dammed to create several lakes in the Dukeries estates of Welbeck Abbey and Clumber House now the National Trust property of Clumber Park. The ornamental Gouldsmeadow Lake, Shrubbery Lake and Great Lake on the Welbeck estate are supplied by a tributary of the Poulter, while Carburton Forge Dam and Carburton Dam were built to power a forge and a mill. Clumber Lake, consisting of an upper and lower lake, which is spanned by a Grade II* listed ornamental bridge, is part of the Clumber estate, and has suffered from subsidence.
Beyond the parklands, the river flows eastwards past Elkesley, to join the River Idle just outside the village close to the A1 road. The river's water quality is good, with most indexes showing that it is not far from being unpolluted enabling it to support populations of fish, while the lakes provide significant habitat for large numbers of birds.