A watching brief was conducted during ground works preparatory to the construction of flood defence at Attenborough, Nottinghamshire. The monitoring lies within a Scheduled Ancient Monument, (SAM), and land immediately to its east that lies to the south and south-east of the churchyard of the medieval church of St Mary. Monitoring was also undertaken during the excavation of post holes within the churchyard and during trenching abutting both sides of the sheet piling. The post holes, for a wooden fence to screen off the construction works from the church yard, demonstrated the same stratigraphy through out, the spoil containing modern material, brick and concrete and are interpreted as being excavated through made ground. The scheduled area contains six medieval fish ponds and part of an associated water management system. The field adjacent to the church has the potential to contain material associated with the churchyard. The eastern limit of the watching brief abuts Church Field where extensive medieval remains were excavated during the winter of 2009/10. Topsoil stripping revealed layers of alluvium and soils, the latter probably derived from the higher ground immediately to the north of the working area. The SAM is bisected by a field boundary, sited on the eastern most medieval fishpond, extending to the churchyard. Topsoil stripping only revealed upper modern layers within it. To the east of the fishponds a leat, believed to be a continuation of the water management system for the fishponds, was recorded. No other archaeological features related to the fishponds were observed within the SAM. Trenching either side of the sheet piles revealed a number of modern layers and potential features, including a dog burial, probably dating to the 19th century to the north of the fishponds. Outside the SAM removal of the topsoil revealed interleaved alluvial deposits with a small scatter of medieval pot. A feature, either a dump or truncated pit, located close to the boundary with Church Field, was excavated and medieval pottery recovered from the fill. The small assemblage of medieval pottery is broadly contemporary with the fish ponds but any direct relationship between them remains uncertain.