The site is located on the south-western edge of the historic Market Town of Newark-on-Trent, in the Newark & Sherwood District of Nottinghamshire. It comprises the former Watermill Public house and its rear car park. The Watermill, which is a Grade II Listed Building (HE List Entry No.: 1196442), was first listed on the 19 May 1971. The pub unoccupied since about 2021), fronts onto an historic road known as Millgate, this forming part of the line of the Newark to Lincoln section of the Fosse Way - a major route during the Roman and later periods. The evaluation consisted of two trial trenches: T1, measuring 20m x 2m and T2, measuring 10m x 2m. The trenches were positioned within the area of the former Malthouse (now the car park), in order to target potential archaeological remains pertaining to the building, whilst also investigating those areas likely to be most heavily disturbed by the proposed development groundworks. The evaluation of the two trenches within the grounds of the car park of the former Watermill Public House yielded little in terms of surviving archaeology of any antiquity. The earliest feature stratigraphically, at a depth of 1.5m was a shallow, undated pit within one trench. The remaining three pit were considered to be early modern or post medieval at the earliest. A single sherd of possible medieval was recovered from the clay lining of one pit, but is considered to be intrusive. The two remaining pits were not excavated due to their modern provenance. However, the survival of part of the Malthouse, and perhaps the original late 18th structure itself within the second trench was significant. According to the 1886 1st edition map, the Malthouse covered the entire footprint of the car park, being a long, rectangular building, usually of two floors, the lower being for germination, with an upper floor also for germination or storage. The barley being spread over the floors after having been steeped, and continuously turned over by hand to encourage germination. A kiln would also be present in a separate two storey structure. The furnace below would produce heat, whilst the upper floor of perforated ceramic tiles would dry out the produce. These perforated ceramic tiles were seen during the machining of demolition deposit but were not recorded as they were liberally mixed up within the rubble and didn’t appear to form a consistent level or surface. It is unclear what part of the Malthouse the surviving structure pertains to. No burning was evident so clearly not the kiln or furnace, although the furnace would have been centrally placed within the building. A separate structure was often located on the end of a Malthouse for storage and distribution, and this may possibly pertain to that. However, the presence of the perforated ceramic tiles clearly indicates that there was a furnace in the vicinity, but clearly demolished and distributed across the southeastern end of the site. The tiled floor evident across both trenches may possibly be the lower germination floor, being constructed as it was upon made ground, the upper level having been subsequently demolished and lost.