Gallows Hill

Gallows Hill is located where the current day Traffic Department is situated. It had been another place of execution and the historical slave graveyard is partially underneath the Traffic Department site. On cemetery maps it is shown as the ‘place of burial of slaves and heathens’. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the site was used for the most barbaric executions of slaves, including public hangings, crucifixions, impalement and dismemberment. The site was situated on a slight hill and as a result, could be clearly visible from the town as well as from the harbour. The public hangings served as a warning to other slaves to not misbehave. From the site's location through to Buitengraght Street (where the Prestwich Ossuary is situated) were a series of graveyards of various religious denominations. This part of the city is known to some as the CITY OF THE DEAD. Prestwich Street also was a place where the remains of persons identified as slaves were found. These remains are now interred at the Ossuary.