A watching brief was undertaken during the creation of a wet meadow habitat at Wheatear Field, Attenborough, Nottinghamshire. Wheatear Field lies within the Attenborough Nature Reserve. Evidence of human activity within the vicinity of Attenborough ranges from the Mesolithicthrough to the present, with finds including Neolithic stone axes and pottery, Bronze Agemetalwork and pottery and pottery from the Iron Age, Roman and Medieval periods. Topsoil stripping and substantial landscaping created an undulating surface, comprising ridgesand furrows which run approximately north-east/south-west along the entire length of the site. Machine excavation of subsoils revealed successive deposits of alluvial clays and demonstrated a consistent sedimentary sequence across the site. No organic rich sediments consistent with the presence of palaeochannels or buried soil horizons were identified. Directly beneath the topsoil a series of parallel horse-shoe field drains was revealed possibly dating to the early 19th century. The watching brief determined that no archaeological features or deposits were disturbed by the groundworks carried out to create the wet meadow habitat.