Formerly farmland, boulder clay extraction started in the 1920s for brick making in the adjacent brickworks and ceased in 1965 – since then it has been allowed to return to nature.

[4][5] It is owned and managed by Warrington Borough Council as a local amenity.

[3] Two large sections of Rixton Clay Pits, 15 hectares (37 acres) in total, are a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a designated Special Area of Conservation, on account of its calcareous grassland communities and because it supports the largest breeding population of Great Crested Newts in Cheshire.

[5][6] The whole was established as a local nature reserve in 1996, and has waymarked paths and a visitor centre.

[1][3][4] Fishing is permitted on the lake between the two sections of SSSI, and is controlled by the Warrington Anglers Association, the main stock being tench, bream and roach.