The watching brief took place during all invasive groundworks carried out on site. These groundworks consisted of shallow excavations for drainage within a derelict building in the central range of Rudchester Farm. Initial excavations for drainage were conducted by hand, as per the original specification of the SMC. Later excavation to remove layers of concrete and upper levels of made ground were carried out with a half-tonne digger by agreement with the Hadrian's Wall Archaeologist. A trench was excavated by hand along a north-south alignment in the centre of the building and a small pit was excavated by hand at the north wall of the cottage, to the west of the doorway. Both of these excavations continued northwards under the wall to meet pre-existing services in the yard. Neither of these excavations revealed any archaeological features. Both excavations bottomed out in the same layer of dark grey-brown made ground that the excavations started in. A further reduction of ground, this time with a half-tonne 360� excavator, was observed to depth, producing similar debris. It is concluded that no archaeological features were disturbed during hand or machine excavation at Rudchester Farm. No layers below modern made ground were impacted by the groundworks.