It was built by Richard Costain Ltd in 1959–63 to serve Macclesfield, which lies to its west, and officially opened in 1965.

The area is a popular tourist spot, forming an access point for walkers to the surrounding moorland.

[2] Plans to construct the reservoir were proposed in 1957 to alleviate water-supply problems of the town of Macclesfield.

A public enquiry was held on 26 September 1957; local objections from farmers and representatives of the Peak District National Park focused on whether it was necessary to prohibit habitation and farming, other than of sheep, within the water-catchment area.

[3] Initial works included building an access road from Rainow at a cost of £50,000, and diverting the River Dean to allow excavation of the dam's foundations.

[2] None of the farmhouses in the area were flooded, but several, including Lamaload Farm, were demolished to construct a car park, or were repurposed as service buildings.

[14] Princess Alexandra visited and unveiled a plaque on 26 May 1961, during the construction phase,[11] and the reservoir and treatment plant were officially opened on 21 April 1965 by Viscount Leverhulme.

It lies 2.3 km southeast of Rainow, 308 metres above sea level, and is fed by the River Dean.

[2][5] The individual buttresses are separate from each other, to give the foundations a small degree of freedom to shift.

It is among the most popular locations for tourists in the South West Peak,[29] forming an important access point for walkers to the surrounding moorland.