An archaeological watching brief was undertaken during the excavation of eight trial holes. The works were carried out to assess ground conditions in advance of the renewal of a water main that runs through Chilwell, Nottinghamshire. The watching brief found no archaeological features, deposits or structures in any of the trial holes. A small quantity of modern artefacts were found in two of the trial holes; these were recorded on site but not retained. The natural geological substrate was only exposed in two of the trial holes, at 0.45–0.68 m below ground level. It is possible, therefore that archaeological remains are present at the location of the other trial holes, at depths below those reached during the watching brief.