All Hallows by the Tower

All Hallows by the Tower, founded in 675 AD by the Saxon Abbey of Barking, is the oldest church in the City of London. The crypt contains Roman paving from a 2nd-century domestic building, while the walls incorporate reused Roman tiles. The church stands just 400 yards from the Tower of London, a proximity that shaped its grim history—bodies of those executed at the Tower, including Archbishop William Laud, St Thomas More, and Bishop John Fisher, were brought here for temporary burial. Samuel Pepys watched the Great Fire of 1666 from the church tower, noting that All Hallows survived when flames stopped just outside its walls. The church contains crusader brasses, a baptismal font cover carved by Grinling Gibbons, and a register signed by William Penn and John Quincy Adams. Extensive bombing during the Blitz destroyed much of the structure, revealing the Roman and Saxon foundations during post-war rebuilding.

The most frequently reported apparitions are those of Crusader knights, presumably connected to the church’s medieval role as a mustering point for those departing on crusade. These figures appear in chain mail and white surcoats marked with red crosses, kneeling in prayer before fading from view. The crypt, with its Roman foundations and Saxon arches, generates intense supernatural phenomena—visitors report seeing robed figures moving through the ancient spaces, sudden temperature drops of 15-20 degrees, and overwhelming sensations of antiquity. The smell of incense appears when none is burning, and the sound of Latin prayers echoes through the vaulted chambers. Some witnesses report seeing Roman soldiers examining the tessellated pavement, their forms translucent and anachronistic in the Christian context.

The church’s proximity to the Tower of London manifests in phenomena connected to execution victims. Apparitions of distressed figures in Tudor and Stuart dress appear near the entrance, as if waiting to receive bodies from the executioner’s block. The most detailed sighting involves a headless figure in bishop’s robes, believed to be one of the martyred clergy buried here. The upper church experiences phantom processions of monks and clergy following medieval routes, and the sound of bells ringing in patterns that predate the current bell installation. During World War II, the church served as a first aid station during the Blitz; witnesses report hearing air raid sirens, smelling antiseptic, and seeing figures in Civil Defense uniforms that vanish when approached. The church’s 1,350-year history—spanning Roman London, Saxon England, medieval Christianity, Reformation violence, and modern warfare—creates extraordinary spiritual layering where multiple historical periods manifest simultaneously.