Broomhead reservoir was finished in 1929. Construction had been planned earlier but was delayed by World War I. Workers lived in the nearby Ewden village. The reservoir flooded a steep valley probably previously used as meadows. The use of Broomhead Mill was also discontinued. The reservoir is a popular location for water sports. Legibility of previous types is invisible. The date of origin of the moorland is uncertain but it had probably developed in this area by the Roman period (see Bevan 2003 for discussion of environmental evidence in the area).