The watching brief took place during groundworks in June 2021 and involved monitoring the excavation of foundation trenches to a depth of 0.90 m for the south and east foundations of the new build. The north and west foundations were to build off the footings of existing walls associated with the former 19th century Pole Barn and a contemporary boundary wall. The foundation trenching was carried out by a mechanical excavator utilized a toothless ditching bucket for the excavation, which was closely monitored by a suitably trained and experienced archaeologist from the Archaeological Practice Ltd. The aims of the watching brief were to identify and determine the character of any remains uncovered during groundworks on the site, and to make an appropriate record of such finds by photographic and other means. An archaeological watching brief was conducted in June 2021, to mitigate the impact of groundworks associated with the construction of a residential property on the site of the former 19th century Pole Barn located approximately 74 metres to the north-west of Shortflatt Tower, Belsay (centred on NGR: NZ 07877 81062). The site lies within the north-west portion of the grounds for Shortflatt Tower, a Grade I-listed building of 15th-16th century date, in an area occupied by agricultural outbuildings since at least the 19th century. The groundworks involved monitoring the excavation of foundation trenches to a depth of 0.90 m for the south and east foundations of the new build, which measures 19 m (length) X 6 m (width). The north and west foundations were to build off the footings of existing walls associated with the former 19th century Pole Barn and a contemporary boundary wall, which were left insitu. The aims of the watching brief were to identify and determine the character of any remains uncovered during groundworks on the site, and to make an appropriate record of such finds by photographic and other means. Other than modern occupation material associated with the former Pole Barn, the results of the watching brief concluded that no significant finds or features were revealed by the excavations required for the new residential property. Therefore, it was concluded that no significant remains of cultural heritage value were impacted by the works. The construction of the former 19th century Pole Barn and an associated terrace that cut-in to the bank at the southern part of the site, appears to have truncated any potential archaeological layers or fe...