The remains of a young girl and a man discovered beneath historic Eastbrook Hall will be reburied in a Bradford Methodist grave- yard - unless their families come forward to claim them.

Mystery still surrounds the identity of the brown-haired youngster whose remains were found in a tiny coffin by contractors redeveloping the hall in Leeds Road in January.

The other bones discovered deeper beneath the coffin were believed to be from a man. But their container had fallen apart over the years.

The coffin carried a plaque dated 1849 but there was no sign of a name.

The workers who found the coffin named the girl, believed to have been aged between four and six, Sharada - Indian for beautiful river.

The land beneath the old hall which was built in 1904 was once used as a burial ground. But large numbers of bodies were moved and reburied in that era as the new hall was built and the discovery of the remains was unexpected.

Now Ham Construction Ltd which is redeveloping the hall into 68 apartments, offices and shops has given two months' notice of its intention to remove the remains.

People can read details of the discovery at The Reading Rooms, 53 Leeds Road, Bradford, before April 16 between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday - except Good Friday.

Anyone who wants to remove them would have to apply to the Department for Constitutional Affairs before April 12.

Today the Reverend Paul Flowers, who is Methodist minister for the Great Horton area, said the proposed reburials would be in the garden area of the graveyard at Great Horton Methodist Church.

He added: "The company has approached this sensitively. And these people will be reverently and properly reburied."

The Reverend Geoff Reid team leader of Bradford's Methodist Touchstone inter- faith centre said: "Whoever these people may be, they should be honoured as the last chapter of the Eastbrook history."

Chris Chambers, director of Ham Construction, said: "It is a big project and this was another story in itself which had become a talking point.

"It is a pity we cannot find their identity but we want to deal with it properly."

The hall was known as the Methodist cathedral of the north when it was built in 1904.

It became the hub of the community and was used by thousands of people until it closed in 1986, facing massive bills for dry rot.

It was bought by Aldersgate Estates in 1997 and the company is now restoring it at a cost of £8.6 million in partnership with Bradford Centre Regeneration - the company spearheading the rebirth of the city - Yorkshire Forward and English Partnerships.