MYSTERY surrounds the disappearance of antique chains that were part of the famous Hindhead Gibbet, used to hang three men who brutally murdered a sailor in the 18th century. The chains were displayed hanging around a fireplace at a local inn, but vanished during a £1.4m 'facelift' and now no-one can find them. They were moved from The Royal Huts pub (later a Happy Eater cafe) in Hindhead, but when that building was demolished the chains ended up as curiosities at The Kings Arms and Royal Hotel in Godalming, but new managers at the hotel have no idea where they have gone. The Kings Arms also has charge of five antique paintings telling the story of the sailor's murder, which remain safe at the High Street hotel. The remains of the wooden part of the gibbet are in Haslemere Museum. Nigel Mee, of Beacon Hill Road, is researching the history of the crime for a book, and was dismayed when he discovered the chains, believed to date from 1786, and made by a blacksmith in Thursley, had disappeared. He fears builders may have disposed of them during the refurbishment. He says the new management were unaware of the historical significance and were unable to locate them. He said: "The chains have, to date, not been located since the refurbishment of the hotel. "They have just finished doing-up the pub and I think the chains may have gone out with the dirty rubble. If they have, it is a sad story, but it would be a nice ending if they find the chains so that they, and the pictures, could be passed to the museum. "Postcards copied from the paintings were sold from late 1890s to the early 1900s. The ownership of the paintings has not been discovered, nor who organised the move from Hindhead to Godalming, in the year 2000 or thereabouts." The owner of the Godalming inn, The Chapman Group, based in Angmering, West Sussex, is now hunting for the artifacts. A spokesman for the company said the former manager, who knew where they were, cannot be contacted. She said: "We are doing a search to see if we can find them and the area manager is going there to look." She added the builder had assured them the chains were not thrown out and had been put aside, as of historical value. An assistant manager at The Kings Arms and Royal Hotel, who did not want to be named, said: "We are trying to trace them. We still have the pictures in the ball room. "We have been here five weeks and it is only from people coming in, telling us about the pictures, that we realised what they are, but the chains were not here. We are hoping that they are here somewhere." For many years Hindhead's claim to fame was the brutal murder in 1786. The victim – a sailor travelling back to his ship in Portsmouth – was robbed and cruelly killed by three local men. The culprits were caught and hung on Gibbet Hill, a high point of some 900 feet. Their bodies were left to hang on the gallows for several years as a warning to passers-by. At the peak of Gibbet Hill is a Celtic cross 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 often hanged there as punishment for their crimes. l A book by Peter Moorey, available at the Haslemere Museum, called Who was the Sailor Murdered at Hindhead? – A Search for His Identity was published in 2000. It specifically mentions the paintings and chains at The Kings Arms.