An archaeological watching brief was carried out during the construction of a new water feature in the Market Place, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The Market Place lies at the centre of the conurbation; the site itself occupying a central position, to the immediate north of the Town Hall. The trench monitored comprised a rectangular unit, with a total area of approximately 24m². The area of development was a block-paved part of the market place itself, situated immediately to the north of the Town Hall. The watching brief was carried out by one archaeologist, who monitored a single trench, 8m in length and 3m wide, positioned 4m to the north of the Town Hall. Initial excavations were undertaken using a wheeled 360° excavator employing a 1.6m wide toothless bucket. The results of the watching brief appear to reflect the construction of the marketplace in the early Victorian period, which has totally obscured evidence of an earlier market or structures, at least in the area of the trench observed. This construction activity shows that, at least in front of the town hall, the area was stripped to the surface of the bedrock; municipal drainage was installed, and the ground was made-up to a new level. The well encountered was probably the water source of a municipal pump. Pevsner records that the market place was turned through 90°, to make the new Town Hall its focus, and the activity seen in this trench would seem to be a product of this phase of development.