A watching brief was held during the excavation of two trenches against the west wall of Bourne mill to establish the cause of flooding in the cellar of the building. The first trench was inserted at the south end of the west wall and cut through clay makeup forming a barrier between the mill and its pond. The trench was 2.63m deep, 1.95m wide and 1.85m long. The trench was dug during heavy rain and conditions for inspection and cleaning were less than ideal. The lowest part of the trench contained three notable structural features including a foundation plinth, a masonry floor and a timber beam. The second trench was situated immediately south of the leat and was 1.5m deep, 0.8m wide and 0.8m long. It revealed clay makeup and a brick section of the west wall.<1>