The Carron Lade was constructed in 1761 to provide water for the Carron Ironworks.  Initially, water supplies for the ironworks came from the Stenhouse Mill lade adjacent to the site.  The first blast furnace at the ironworks used bellows driven by a waterwheel, and to supply the increase in demand for water, the furnace leade or lade was constructed in 1761.  It was fed from an existing mill damhead on the River Carron below Larbert Old Church.

The need for power increased as the ironworks grew leading to the development of the first reservoir - the Carron or Furnace Pool, fed by the Furnace Lade.  As the ironworks developed so did the need for power.  Two more reservoirs were created, the Forge Dam in 1766/67 and the Wester Dam in 1772.

The intake from the river was sealed off in 1975 and the dams were drained for safety reasons.  Since then, the lade has been blocked in several places and the damhead on the River Carron has been badly damage by floods.