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Unveiling the Dark History of the Tower of London and its Ghosts

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Uncover the hidden shadows of England’s majestic Tower of London, home to stories of more than one ghost haunting the rooms, the hallways and the prison cells from many dark parts of England’s history.

Shrouded in centuries of fear and mystery, the ancient walls of the Tower of London on the north bank of the River Thames, hide within them a plethora of ghost stories that have been passed down through generations. 

From secret passageways to encounters with mysterious apparitions, visit the legendary Haunted Ghosts Tower to uncover its dark history and uncover its spine-tingling tales of beheaded royals, tortured prisoners and missing princes as well as menacing forces following the guards.

The History of the Tower of London

Since its inception in 1066, the Tower of London has served as a royal residence, prison, armory and execution site. The White Tower gave the castle its name and was built by William the Conqueror in 1078. It was a symbol of the oppression over London after the new Norman ruling class.

Over the centuries it has seen kings and queens come and go, watched prisoners be tortured and witnessed countless executions within its walls. It ended up being a symbol of royal power and one of the most secure fortresses in the country. It is not only a stronghold of history but also an enduring source of horror stories that continue to haunt us today.

The Tower of London is known for its grisly past, having been the home to many famous and infamous prisoners until 1952. These included some of England’s most treasured monarchs, such as Anne Boleyn who was beheaded on May 19th 1536 and Sir Walter Raleigh, imprisoned in 1603 by King James I. 

Other more notorious prisoners held at the tower were Guy Fawkes and conspirators involved in the Gunpowder Plot, who were later hung, drawn and quartered.

Ghosts in the Tower of London

The Tower of London is reportedly one of the most haunted places in England, possibly due to its long and dark history. Ghostly figures are said to wander the dungeons, some even claiming to have seen Anne Boleyn’s headless ghost roaming its corridors. 

Lady Jane Grey

One of the most recorded ghost sightings is that of Lady Jane Grey, a young girl who was crowned Queen for nine days before she was imprisoned and eventually beheaded at the ripe age of 17.

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey: An often spotted ghost in Tower of London is Lady Jane Grey. This is an oil painting by Paul Delaroche, completed in 1833, which is now in the National Gallery in London. It was enormously popular in the decades after it was painted

She was originally put as a queen to prevent the Catholic Mary Tudor from sitting on the throne. She first came to the Tower for her coronation, but was soon back as a prisoner. Mary I was ready to spare both her and her husband’s lives if they converted to catholicism. Lady Jane, a devout protestant refused. She was executed on 12 February in 1554 on Tower Green. 

She is seen as a lonely ghost, wandering the battlements of the Tower. Her husband, Lord Guildford Dudley is also supposedly haunting the place. He can be seen in Beauchamp Tower, sitting in his cell and crying in the middle of the night. 

Ghost of Henry VI

Henry IV was the only English monarch to have been crowned King of France as well and he inherited the Hundred Years War from his uncle. He was crowned king of England at only nine months, the youngest person to have succeeded the English throne. 

This was also the start of The War of Roses, a series of civil wars and Henry VI was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1465, reinstated as king in 1470, but then imprisoned again in 1471.

Henry VI died that year, possibly killed on orders from King Edvard IV who took his crown. 

Henry VI: Depiction of Henry enthroned, from the Talbot Shrewsbury Book, 1444–45. Although the official death was that he died of melancholia, however, many think he was assassinated in The Tower of London.

Strange legends started to form around the late king after his death and he was hailed as a martyr and a saint that had done plenty of miracles. It is also said that he is one of the ghosts still haunting the tower.  

It is said that he is seen at the last stroke of midnight in the Wakefield Tower, where some say he was praying when he was stabbed to death. 

Margaret Pole

Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury was a powerful woman who was one of the few of the House of Plantagenet to have survived the Wars of the Roses. 

She was tried and sentenced to death to be executed whenever the king wanted. She spent two and a half years in the Tower of London as a prisoner before her execution happened in 1541. 

Margaret Pole claimed her innocence until her last hour. This poem was found carved on the wall of her cell:

For traitors on the block should die;
I am no traitor, no, not I!
My faithfulness stands fast and so,
Towards the block I shall not go!
Nor make one step, as you shall see;
Christ in Thy Mercy, save Thou me!

Margaret Pole: This is an Unknown woman, formerly known as Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, by unknown artist, given to the National Portrait Gallery, London in 1931. Margaret Pole led an especially bloody execution in the Tower of London.

The execution is said to have been bloody and grisly and the proud lady refused to kneel on the scaffold as that was for traitors, and she was none. The executioner had to chase her around as she tried to run and hacked her to death. She is now thought to be one of the many nobles that are haunting the Tower of London with her screams echoing on the Tower Green.

The Many Ghosts of Anne Boleyn

Many believe that the ghost of Anne Boleyn haunts the Tower of London due to her untimely demise. She married Henry VIII and altered the British church forever when she did so as the king had to divorce his original queen and wife for it. They were only married for three years though and she was unable to give him any sons. What she did though was give birth to what would be Queen Elizabeth I that would be one of the longest regents in the country.

During King Henry VIII’s reign, she was famously arrested, accused of treason and beheaded in 1536 at the Tower and has since become one of the most famous people in England’s history. 

Haunted: The ghost of Anne Boleyn are said to be haunting, not only the Tower of London, but have been seen on several locations. Here is a painting depicting Anne Boleyn imprisoned in the Tower.

Anne Boleyn is supposedly a very busy ghost and she is said to haunt not only the tower but Hever Castle, Blickling Hall, Salle Church as well as Marwell Hall.

In the Tower of London she supposedly haunts the chapel of Church of St Peter ad Vincula in the tower where she is buried. She is also said to walk around the White Tower and on the Tower Green where she was held captive until her execution. 

Her ghost is often spotted wearing a gray dress and walking with her head tucked under her arm—mirroring how she was killed. According to legend, if you see her apparition it means that death is soon to come.

The Mystery of the Missing Princes

One of the greatest mysteries in English history remains unsolved—the fate of the two young princes whose uncle, Richard III, had them sent to the Tower of London in 1943 where they were never seen again. 

The Murder Mystery of the Tower of London: King Edward V and the Duke of York (Richard) in the Tower of London by Paul Delaroche. The theme of innocent children awaiting an uncertain fate was popular amongst 19th-century painters.

They were the sons of the late King Edward IV and were 9 and 12 years old when their father died and they were sent to the Tower of London. They grew up in great political turmoil during the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars of two branches of a family were fighting for the seat of the throne. 

During their disappearance many assumed that Richard III was responsible for their murder, although this has since been disproven, or at least, bare little hard evidence to. But the most talked about theory is still that they died or were murdered pretty soon after they disappeared. To this day no one knows what happened to them, giving rise to a host of different theories about the missing princes.

Many of the paranormal activity and ghost sightings have been connected to the two missing princes, and many believe they are some of the ghosts that never left the tower at all. They are seen holding hands and wearing nightshirts in the White Tower as well as playing and giggling on the battlements. 

Sir Walter Raleigh

Other ghosts that are said to haunt the Tower is that of Sir Walter Raleigh who were imprisoned in the tower once for a secret marriage and the second time for treason. The second imprisonment ended in an execution and his ghost is said to haunt the Bloody Tower where he was held. 

The Ghost in the Bloody Tower: Many of the prisoners were political prisoners, often charged of being traitors. Sir Raleigh just before he was beheaded – an illustration from circa 1860.

The Ghost of Sir Walter Raleigh is also said to be seen along the battlements who is now known as Raleigh’s Walk

Arabella Stuart and the Unknown Ghosts

The Gray Lady is an unidentified ghost as well, but she is haunting the Queen’s House of the Tower and her presence is only seen by female visitors. This place is also where the ghost of Arbella Stuart is seen after she was either murdered or refused to eat at all. 

Lady Arabella Stuart: She was at one time considered heir to the English and Scottish thrones, though she did not aspire to them. She died of self-inflicted starvation in the Tower of London, in 1615.

Other unnamed ghosts that have been reported on are the White Lady whose presence is made known by the smell of cheap perfume that has made visitors sick. 

The Legendary Guy Fawkes

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

Fawkes led the infamous Gunpowder Plot with a group of English Catholics that planned to kill the Protestant King James by blowing up the parliament. They were found out though and the plot failed and Fawke was arrested and sent to the Tower. 

After torture, possible “on the rack” a famous torture instrument in the Tower, he gave in and told them all about their plan and named his accomplices as well. 

Interrogated and Tortured: Guy Fawkes 1570-1606 interrogated by James I 1566-1625 and his council in the King’s bedchamber, from Illustrations of English and Scottish History Volume I (1884).

For his execution in 1606 he was dragged from the Tower to Westminster to have the last sight be the building he tried to destroy. He was the last to die and had to watch his accomplices be hanged. He begged forgiveness of the King and the state as he walked to the scaffold. He was hanged and his body parts were distributed to the four corners of the kingdom as a warning sign to others that had their mind on treason. 

Guy Fawkes are also one that are said to haunt the grounds and some claim to hear his screams from where he supposedly was tortured. .

The Animal Ghosts

Can animals become ghosts? According to the lore in the Tower of London, there are plenty of them. Having exotic animals like lions, pumas, tigers and elephants were something the rich often were gifted and a popular thing to have in your home to show off your wealth and power. 

The most famous animal ghost in the Tower was a grizzly bear that supposedly charged at a guard around the Jewel Room who died of a fever two days later. There have also been spotted a Black Bear near the Martin Tower in 1816. 

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Tower of London – Wikipedia

Tower of London Ghosts | Haunted London | Authentic England

The 13 Ghosts Of The Tower Of London

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A Royal Haunting at Christmas

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Every Christmas, the royal ghost of Anne Boleyn is said to visit her childhood home as a spirit.

One of the more famous ghosts that know how to travel, is the ghost of the infamous Anne Boleyn. Most known for the wedge between the State of England and the Catholic Church in the time of the Tudors. The peoples perception of her at the time was awful, and it would be understandable if she felt some sort of resentment or sorrow for how her life ended, even in the afterlife.  

A Well Travelled Ghost

Anne Boleyn: The ghost of the former queen has been spotted many places in the UK after her death.

As ghost sightings go, perhaps the Tower of London is a more well known place for ghost sightings of her, as this was the place she was held imprisoned and executed. But it is far from the only place paranormal sightings of the former Queen have been spotted in the UK. She has also been spotted in Windsor Castle, Hampton Court and Rochford Hall to just name a few. But in the spirit of Christmas, we are going to have a look at where the royal ghost spends her Christmases in the afterlife. 

Every Christmas she is said to make an appearance at Hever Castle, at least it is now expected. Christmas was supposedly her favourite time and Hever Castle was her childhood home with good memories. And contrary to how her ghost is seen at other locations, headless and darkly dressed for instance, it is said she is seen as more happy and content when spotted here.

Christmas at Hever Castle

The castle was built in 1270 in the rural part of Kent, and although relatively small compared to many other castles we can see in England, it came to play a big part in England’s’ history as it was the seat of the Boleyn family. This is also the place where Anne and Henry first met, when he was still married to Queen Catherine of Aragon, and had an affair with her younger sister, Mary. 

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She is often reported to be seen under a big oak tree that stands on the castle ground. This is the place Anne and Henry spent a lot of time courting. Although the ending for the couple was one of the most dramatic break ups in British history, the courting seems to have been genuine. Henry is said to have written her at least seventeen letters, begging her to be his, and the length he went to marry her, spoke to how much he wanted her in his life. 

The Tragic Ending

Hever Castle: This is the childhood home of Anne Boleyn and were she is seen every Christmas. It is now open to public.
Photo: Hever Castle, Kent/ijclark

Although they did get together in the end, their match was a very unpopular one. In order to divorce the queen, he had to part with the Catholic Church, and Anne was in the public eye a witch, a heretic and a seducer that was a danger to the empire and papal law. They never had a son, but their child Elizabeth the first turned out to be one of England’s longest reigning queens. 

But after several miscarriages, never ending gossiping and pressure from all sides, their love turned sour and in the end, Henry found another one and decided to get rid of Anne, in a most dramatic way. On the charges of treasury and adultery and incest with her brother, she was sent to the Tower of London and sentenced to death. On May 19th in 1536, she was executed by beheading at the Tower. 

Popular Sightings

With a such an accessible place with such a famous ghost, the reports about sightings has been plentiful. Like in 2015, when a tourist at the castle captured something on camera he was certain had to be the former queen by the fireplace.

The Ghost: Liam Archer captured this photo in 2015, convinced it was the ghost of the queen.
Photo: Liam Archer/Daily Mail

‘I believe there is something important historically inside the fireplace she wants me to recover.’, Mr Archer that took the picture told the papers at the time.

Who is to say for what reason Anne has to haunt her childhood home, let alone England as a whole? In any case, her imprints on the course of the history, religion and the royal line, was irrevocably shaken by her life and work.

It has also been said she has been seen walking across the beautiful bridge on the premise that crosses River Eden, perhaps on her way home to the place of her happy and innocent childhood.

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Anne Boleyn’s ghost captured on camera at Hever Castle

Ghost of Anne Boleyn at Hever Castle

Dark Tourism, listicle, Review

5 Haunted Attractions to Visit

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Perhaps this is not the greatest summer to travel, but as the borders are opening up, so do we as well move over greater distances than we have. Perhaps some of these places are even closer to you than you think? Here we have gathered some of the most haunted attractions around the world you can visit for a ticket.

Winchester Mystery House
San Jose, California

The Mystery House: Front view of the Winchester Mystery House/Ben Franske

This strange house, built upon the money, wealth and grief of the family fortune, the gun trade, this house is something else. Wind winding staircases going nowhere, doors leading to unknown destination and who know how much else secrets and hauntings the house holds.

Akershus Fortress
Oslo, Norway

By the Sea: Akershus Castle in Oslo, Norway/Pudelek (Marcin Szala)

The fortress was built in medieval times, withstanding plague, starvation from the cold winters and as a last stand during wars. It is also the location of several ghost the fortress has claimed as its own over the years. Smacked in the middle of the modern city of Oslo, it stands as a stark contrast of old and new, living and dead.

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Island of the Dolls, (La Isla de las Muñecas)
Mexico City, Mexico

Isla de las Muñecas: nearby the Xochimilco canals/Esparta Palma/wikicommons

If not for the ghost, go for the creepy decor. Allegedly a man found a dead girl and her doll. He started collecting dolls to appease the girls spirit. Now the island is full of them, hanging from trees, looking at all the tourists taking their holiday at this peculiar place. For around 200 pesos you can get a boat to take you there. On the island, there is also a bar. So, hey, holiday!

The Catacombs
Paris, France

Bones: Wall made of skulls, catacombs of Paris/Djtox/wikicommons

A final resting place for some, not so restful for others. The catacombs were created in 1786 and are 500 miles of an underground maze, built of bones of the dead. And for a ticket, you can walk them. It has been held several scary paranormal claims, and it will only probably be more of them.

The Tower
London, England

The Tower: This is a picture of the so called White Tower of the Tower of London/Dietmar Rabich, London, Tower of London, White Tower — 2016 — 4679, CC BY-SA 4.0

Yes, the tower, how many ghosts do you have captured? The fortress smacked in the busy streets of Londong have been a infamous spot for death and misery for over 900 years. It also holds some royal ghosts that never found peace, among them Anne Boleyn and Mary, Queen of Scots.

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