MOST people wonder what could be buried deep beneath their house and garden and more often than not it is usually just ordinary rubble and old animal bones.

But for one Chesham Bois resident what she discovered underneath her magnificent garden was more than she ever bargained for.

Julia Plaistow, 72, who lives at Chesham Bois House, Bois Lane, Chesham Bois, was expecting to find remains of a former estate which once belonged to the Duke of Bedford in 1735 but what she found dates back even further.

Members of the Chess Valley Archaeological and Historical Society carried out a resistivity survey on the site and realised there was something of important significance buried in the grounds of Ms Plaistow's home.

Dr Yvonne Edwards, of the Chess Valley Archaeological and Historical Society, says: "We have been digging here on and off since the middle of May. What we had done was a geophysical survey of the garden and that had revealed a number of features. It was during the course of identifying those features that we saw the edge of a medieval hearth on one side.

"It was an excellent find to make."

The hearth comprises of several rows of roof tiles, set on edge, and covered in part by a later chalk floor.

Dr Edwards continues: "It's the fireplace of a medieval house. We have known that there would be some ancient buildings here because the Duke of Bedford's estate used to be here in 1735. This is a predecessor of that and we believe it dates back to the 14th or 15th century, but more towards the 14th century.

"We think the fireplace was part of what was known as a Hall House which was one big home. The hearth would have been in the centre of the house and the smoke from the fire would just go up in to the ceiling of the house. There was no chimney."

The site at Chesham Bois House is potentially a very important site with a long history which can be traced to the Saxon period. Evidence indicates it was one of the five estates listed in the Domesday Book in 1086 as part of Chesham.

Dr Edwards and her team have dug 40cm below the surface of the garden and will continue to excavate until the hearth has been completely uncovered. She says: "The hearth is made up of tiles which have been stacked vertically. It must have been a very clean home. It was set in a chalk floor. We found very little in the way of debris. It's quite trodden down but in very good condition."

Ms Plaistow was very keen to understand the history of her house and garden and her very good friend Ray Paton, who was the local historian, and his wife Anne had researched the house and garden looking at documentary evidence.Dr Edwards adds: "They thought it would be very good to do something productive to find out the history of the house. They heard of us and got in touch with us."

The team also found traces of neolithic flint flakes which indicate even earlier human presence. The most ancient relics are the prehistoric pudding stones up the drive and three which are incorporated into the terrace on the south front of the house.

Now this discovery has been made Ms Plaistow does not know what she wants to do next but is keen to leave the hearth uncovered for a while.

She says: "I am most excited about the find. I knew there was a lot of stuff underneath the garden as it dates back at least 350 years but we didn't think we would find anything medieval. We are going to be doing some more excavations in the future."

Ms Plaistow's Georgian house, which is not normally open to the public, is surrounded by three acres of garden. There is a walled garden, small canal and rill with gazebo, several flower beds with tender and many unusual plants, clipped trees and lawns. There is also a raised area, which was believed to be a bowling green in the 18th century but is now a meadow.

Private visits to the garden can be made by appointment by calling 01494 726476 or email julia@oeathai.org