The nature reserve has a long and varied history which can be traced as far back as Roman times, although more recently farming and coal mining has shaped the area.
Mining subsidence has caused permanent open water areas to form where the River Dearne once flowed and these are now rich in aquatic life.
The site was formed by a combination of factors. Sitting on the old course of the Dearne (the straightened new course is adjacent), the river was blocked off by tipping coal spoil from a nearby mine and a large flood gate in an old railway embankment. Thus a lake formed, and associated reedbed and fen fringe to the lake. The creation of this lake allows the silt to be used as emergency flood storage; the Dearne can be diverted along its old course to fill up the nature reserve, with water being slowly released after the peak of the flood.