It was completed in 1851, as a critical part of the Longdendale Chain project that brings fresh water to Manchester.

Water was captured from the River Etherow and stored in the great reservoirs and then flowed through the six-foot bore Mottram Tunnel to Godley.

At Godley the water was filtered by passing it through straining frames made of oak and fine wires.

This method was successfully used until the early 1960s, when additional treatment works were built at Arnfield and Godley.

[1] In 2016 United Utilities completed the construction of a 3 MW 45,500-square-metre (11.2-acre) floating solar farm, the second and largest of its type in the UK, on the reservoir.