ANOTHER fascinating discovery has been made in the Tavistock garden where human remains were found earlier this year.

Back in February, a resident in Spring Hill found fragments of a human skull, jawbone and two femurs, which had been buried in the ground for years.

An old photograph has now been found in the back garden just two metres away from where the human bones were first discovered.

The antique photograph on glass is a portrait of a smartly-dressed young man. It is believed the picture may have been buried in the garden since the late Victorian era.

The home-owner, who did not wish to be named, told the Times the condition of this latest discovery was 'remarkable'.

'I have shown it to several people who I thought might have an idea about the period, and they all said late Victorian,' he said.

The style of clothing suggests the picture may have been taken in the 1890's.

Now the home-owner hopes that someone seeing the picture might recognise the young man in it, or a family resemblance. It is thought the person in the picture may have had some connection with Bedford Villas.

'If someone was able to identify the person in the picture that would be absolutely fantastic.

'We are very attached to this house and have come to find out a lot about its history, it is of great interest to us,' he said.

The picture is the latest in a series of macabre finds at the site. A number of horse bones were found as the adjoining building used to be a stable, and several bottles and items of medical equipment thought to be from the nearby hospital have also been uncovered.

The photograph was discovered when the man dug up the leg bone of a horse and spotted the small picture in the ground.

The home-owner doesn't believe the picture is in any way related to the human bones as although they were found in close proximity to each other, they probably date from different eras.

The discoveries begun when the home-owner was lowering the levels of the soil in his garden. A pathologist who assessed the human bones seven months ago estimated they were more than fifty years old.

The home owner said the chances of uncovering any more artifacts from the garden are remote as work in the garden is nearly completed. 'We have got to stop digging, or we will kill the trees if we carry on,' he said.