An archaeological watching brief during the excavation of site investigation boreholes along Bar Gate, North Gate and Robert Dukeson Avenue, Newark, Nottinghamshire. Nine boreholes were monitored; in four of the boreholes the modern ground surface was seen to be c. 0.3 to 0.7m deep and overlay sandy gravel or clay. In the remaining five boreholes made ground was identified to a depth of between 1.1m and 2.9m, where it overlay weathered mudstone and gravel respectively; the made ground may represent cut features of indeterminate date. There was no pattern as to where the deeper deposits lay. Post-medieval pottery was recovered from the made ground within two of the easternmost boreholes.