In the 18th century, the 3rd Duke of Portland commissioned the famous landscape gardener Humphrey Repton to work on the parkland at Welbeck. As part of these improvements, the Great Lake was extended to the north and south around 1793. 

In around 1858, the 5th Duke of Portland added an impressive 32 acres to the lake as part of his works on the estate. This included the southern extension of the Great Lake as far as Carburton Forge Lake, with a new dam being constructed between the Great Lake and Shrubbery Lake. The clay dug out for this extension was used to make bricks for the construction of the buildings in Welbeck Village. 

The 6th Duke of Portland adjusted the dam between the Great Lake and Shrubbery Lake in around 1885 and again in 1906. New wrought iron fencing and ornate gates were added to the east of the lake. He also instated a water garden in the area surrounding the boathouse. 

In the early 20th century, there were several problems with the dam between Shrubbery Lake and Gouldsmeadow Lake, which incorporated the tunnel running to South Lodge. A complicated system of bypass channels, culverts and underground pipes existed, and one of these pipes split in 1899, flooding the tunnel all the way to the underground ballroom. After this, the level of Gouldsmeadow Lake was dropped to the same level as Shrubbery Lake, and a syphon system was installed to prevent further incidents.