The Ghosts of the Tower of London

The Tower of London has stood on the banks of the Thames for nearly a thousand years, serving as a royal palace, prison, place of execution, and treasury. Its long and bloody history—filled with executions, murders, torture, and political intrigue—has allegedly left it one of the most haunted locations in Britain. Yeoman Warders, tourists, and researchers have reported encounters with numerous ghosts, from beheaded queens to murdered princes.

The History

William the Conqueror began construction of the Tower in 1078, and subsequent monarchs expanded it into a fortress complex. The Tower has witnessed some of the most dramatic episodes in English history: the imprisonment and presumed murder of the young princes Edward V and Richard; the executions of Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey, and countless others; and the torture of prisoners in its dungeons.

Guards, known as Yeoman Warders or “Beefeaters,” have patrolled the Tower for centuries. Their reports of supernatural encounters form a significant body of testimony.

Anne Boleyn

The most famous Tower ghost is Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, executed on Tower Green on May 19, 1536. She has been seen throughout the Tower: near the Queen’s House where she was imprisoned, on the green where she died, and in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula where her body lies.

In 1864, a guard reportedly saw a white figure approach. When challenged, it moved toward him, and he thrust his bayonet through it. He fainted from shock. At his court-martial for falling asleep on duty, other guards testified to seeing the same figure, and he was acquitted.

Anne Boleyn’s ghost has been described headless in some accounts, carrying her head under her arm. In others, she appears intact, dressed in white, walking the grounds she knew in life and death.

The Princes in the Tower

Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, disappeared in 1483 after being lodged in the Tower by their uncle, Richard III. They are presumed to have been murdered, though their fate remains one of history’s great mysteries.

Guards have reported seeing two small figures in white nightgowns, holding hands and walking through the Tower before fading into the walls. In 1674, workmen discovered a wooden chest containing the skeletons of two children, which were subsequently reburied in Westminster Abbey.

Whether these ghosts are the murdered princes, or whether the legend has created expectations that witnesses interpret as sightings, the reports continue.

Lady Jane Grey

Lady Jane Grey, the “Nine Days’ Queen,” was executed in the Tower on February 12, 1554, at age sixteen. Her ghost has been reported on the anniversary of her execution—a white figure seen on the battlements, and by some accounts throughout the Tower.

In 1957, a guard reported seeing a ghostly figure form itself into a recognizable likeness of Lady Jane Grey atop the Salt Tower. Two other guards reportedly saw the same apparition.

Other Ghosts

The Tower hosts numerous other reported spirits. Sir Walter Raleigh, imprisoned there twice and finally executed in 1618, allegedly walks the grounds. The Duke of Northumberland, executed in 1553, is seen on the walls. A phantom bear, possibly reflecting the Tower’s former use as a royal menagerie, has been reported near the Martin Tower.

The Yeoman Warders themselves are a source of testimony. Living within the Tower complex, they have passed down stories of encounters for generations.

Assessment

The Tower of London combines extreme historical trauma, atmospheric architecture, and continuous habitation in a way few locations can match. Whether its ghosts are real, the power of suggestion, or a mixture of both, the Tower remains one of the world’s most famous haunted locations.

Nearly a thousand years of history have left their mark on these walls. If ghosts are the echoes of violent death and injustice, the Tower of London should be full of them. According to countless witnesses, it is.