The Tower of London: 1000 Years of Ghosts

Since William the Conqueror began construction in 1078, the Tower of London has witnessed nearly a millennium of royal intrigue, execution, torture, and murder. Prisoners were held, broken, and often killed within its walls. Today, the Tower is considered the most haunted building in Britain, with dozens of ghosts reported by visitors, staff, and the famous Yeoman Warders who live within its precincts. The spirits of queens, princes, lords, and commoners refuse to leave the fortress that ended their lives.

The History

A Brief Chronicle of Death

Executions on Tower Hill (Public): Over 100 executions took place on Tower Hill, adjacent to the Tower. The condemned included:

• Thomas More (1535)
• Thomas Cromwell (1540)
• Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (1541)
• Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat (1747) — the last public execution

Executions on Tower Green (Private): Seven people—all high-ranking—were granted the “privilege” of private execution:

• William Hastings (1483)
• Anne Boleyn (1536)
• Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (1541)
• Catherine Howard (1542)
• Jane Grey (1554)
• Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex (1601)
• Additional unnamed prisoners

Murders:

• The Princes in the Tower (1483, alleged)
• Henry VI (1471)
• Countless political prisoners throughout the centuries

Torture: The Tower housed torture chambers where the rack, the manacles, and Skeffington’s Gyves extracted confessions and shattered bodies.

The Ghosts

Anne Boleyn

The most famous Tower ghost is Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, executed on May 19, 1536 for alleged adultery and treason.

Sightings:

• A headless figure in a gray dress walking near the Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula (where she is buried)
• A complete apparition in Tudor dress, head intact, appearing in the White Tower
• A ghostly figure leading a procession through the Tower
• Seen by guards, visitors, and Yeoman Warders across centuries

The 1864 Sighting: A guard captain reported seeing Anne leading a ghostly procession into the chapel. When they entered to investigate, the chapel was empty.

Recent Encounters: Visitors have photographed orbs and mists near Anne’s execution site. Staff report cold spots and the smell of perfume.

The Princes in the Tower

Edward V (12) and Richard, Duke of York (9) were lodged in the Tower by their uncle Richard III in 1483. They were never seen again.

Their fate remains England’s greatest historical mystery. Whether murdered by Richard III, Henry VII, or another party, their spirits allegedly remain.

Sightings:

• Two small figures in white nightgowns, hand in hand
• Seen descending staircases in the Bloody Tower
• Appearing in the room where they were last housed
• Terrified, silent figures that fade when approached

The Discovery (1674): Workmen found a wooden chest containing the skeletons of two children beneath a staircase in the White Tower. They were reinterred in Westminster Abbey.

Lady Jane Grey

Jane Grey, the “Nine Days’ Queen,” was executed at 16 or 17 in 1554. She refused to convert to Catholicism and died with dignity.

Sightings:

• A white figure appearing on the anniversary of her execution (February 12)
• Seen on the battlements and in the Salt Tower
• A weeping young woman in white, sometimes headless

The 1957 Sighting: A guard reported seeing a white shape on the roof of the Salt Tower on February 12. When he raised the alarm, others confirmed the figure before it vanished.

Sir Walter Raleigh

Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned twice in the Tower, spending 13 years there before his eventual execution in 1618.

Sightings:

• A bearded figure walking the ramparts he paced during his imprisonment
• Appearing in the Bloody Tower, where he wrote his History of the World
• A distinctive Elizabethan figure, easily recognizable

Henry VI

Henry VI was murdered in the Wakefield Tower in 1471, allegedly while at prayer. He was canonized as a saint by popular acclaim (though never officially).

Sightings:

• Appears on the anniversary of his death (May 21)
• A pacing, praying figure in the Wakefield Tower
• The smell of candles and incense accompanying his presence

The White Lady

An unidentified White Lady waves from a window in the White Tower, particularly visible to children in the courtyard below.

Theories:

• Anne Boleyn
• Margaret Pole (executed at over 70 after a botched beheading)
• One of many anonymous prisoners

Other Ghosts

Thomas Becket: Allegedly appeared to stop unauthorized building work in the 13th century.

Arbella Stuart: A cousin of James I, imprisoned and starved to death in 1615. A figure in white dress has been seen in the Queen’s House.

A Grizzly Bear: The Tower housed a royal menagerie for 600 years. A guard reportedly died of shock after seeing a ghostly bear emerging from a door in 1815.

The Yeoman Warders

Living With Ghosts

The Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) are retired military personnel who live in the Tower and serve as ceremonial guardians and tour guides.

They are well-positioned to experience the paranormal—and many have.

Testimony:

Warder accounts include:

• Footsteps in empty corridors
• Doors opening and closing on their own
• Cold spots that move through rooms
• Shadows without sources
• The feeling of being watched
• Figures that disappear when approached

The Warders generally don’t seek publicity for their experiences. Many will only discuss them off the record.

The Challenge: Some Warders openly embrace the Tower’s haunted reputation. Others are more skeptical but admit to unexplained experiences.

Modern Encounters

21st Century Sightings

The Tower remains active:

2011: A staff member photographed a strange figure in Tudor dress that didn’t appear to other observers.

2017: Visitors reported seeing a woman in white near the scaffold site who vanished while being watched.

Continuous Reports:

• Cold spots throughout the complex
• Electronic equipment malfunctioning
• Photographs showing unexplained figures
• Visitors feeling touched or pushed
• Children reporting seeing “people in funny clothes” invisible to adults

The Most Haunted Sites

The Bloody Tower: Site of the Princes’ disappearance and Raleigh’s imprisonment.

The White Tower: The oldest structure, containing centuries of accumulated energy.

Tower Green: The private execution site—visitors report overwhelming sadness.

Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula: Burial site of Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and others executed at the Tower.

The Salt Tower: Covered in prisoners’ carvings, many reporting despair and figures in the corner.

Why So Haunted?

Theories

Residual Energy: Nearly 1000 years of trauma, death, and strong emotion may have imprinted on the stones.

Intelligent Hauntings: The ghosts appear aware of their surroundings, suggesting conscious spirits.

Stone Tape Theory: The limestone and granite may have recorded events that “replay” under certain conditions.

Sheer Volume: With hundreds of deaths—many violent and unjust—the statistical likelihood of hauntings increases.

The Ravens

Six ravens are kept at the Tower. Legend says if they leave, the kingdom will fall.

The ravens seem aware of the supernatural. Warders report them reacting to invisible presences—cawing at empty spaces, refusing to enter certain areas.

Visiting the Haunted Tower

What to Expect

The Tower welcomes over 3 million visitors annually. Paranormal experiences are reported regularly:

Common Experiences:

• Sudden cold spots
• Feeling watched or followed
• Photographs with anomalies
• Overwhelming emotions in certain locations
• Children seeing figures adults cannot

Best Times:

• Evening tours in autumn/winter
• Anniversary dates of famous executions
• Quiet weekdays with fewer crowds

Key Locations:

• Bloody Tower (the Princes)
• Tower Green (Anne Boleyn)
• White Tower (various)
• Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula (burial place)

The Weight of History

The Tower of London has witnessed nearly everything humans can do to each other—and to themselves. Kings and queens, lords and commoners, the guilty and the innocent have all passed through its gates. Many never left.

Today, the Tower serves as a museum, a tourist attraction, and a working royal palace. But beneath the gift shops and audio guides, something older persists.

The dead of the Tower are not at rest. Perhaps they cannot be, until justice is done—or until someone finally listens to what they have to say.

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For nearly a thousand years, the Tower of London has collected souls. They linger in its corridors, walk its ramparts, and appear to those sensitive enough to see them. Anne Boleyn still walks to her execution. The Princes still hold hands in the dark. The Tower remembers every death that occurred within its walls—and so, it seems, do the dead.