Gibbet Hill, Hindhead

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Gibbet Hill, at Hindhead, Surrey, is a hill above the Devil's Punchbowl on the A3 London to Portsmouth road in England.

Gibbet hill stands at 272 metres (895 ft) above sea level. It commands a panoramic view, especially to north and east. The view to the north overlooks the Devil's Punchbowl, Thursley, Hankley Common, Crooksbury Hill, and the Hog's Back towards Godalming and Guildford. To the east lies the Sussex Weald. To the south, the hills of Haslemere and Blackdown can be seen, with some sections of the South Downs.

Weydown common lies to the south of Gibbet Hill. A white horse was once engraved into the hillside, though now the engraving is covered with heath.

At the peak of Gibbet Hill stands a Celtic cross that was erected there in the 19th century. It is said that the cross was placed there to protect the area from evil spirits. The area was one of disrepute due to highwaymen and robbers who were hanged there on a gibbet as punishment for their crimes.

The general area is one of heathland and gorse, and was originally an area of the broomsquire, who would harvest the heather, broom, and birch branches to make brooms. As such it was often thought to be a pagan or heathen area.

Gibbet hill and the area was mentioned by Dickens in Nickolas Nickleby^[1], in the scene where Nickleby was walking from London to Portsmouth.

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