All Hallows Barking by the Tower: London's Oldest Church and Its Centuries of Ghosts

On Tower Hill, in the shadow of the Tower of London, stands All Hallows Barking by the Tower, a church that has witnessed more of London’s history than perhaps any other building still standing. Founded in 675 AD, when Saxon Christians built upon the ruins of a Roman settlement, it has served continuously ever since—through Viking raids and Norman conquest, through the Reformation and the Civil War, through the Great Fire and the Blitz. For over thirteen centuries, All Hallows has buried the dead, baptized the living, and accumulated layer upon layer of history within its walls. For over thirteen centuries, All Hallows has buried the dead, baptized the living, and accumulated layer upon layer of history within its walls. Those layers include ghosts. Roman soldiers still march through the crypt, following roads that were buried fourteen centuries ago. Headless figures wander the nave, victims of the Tower’s executioners whose bodies rested here before burial. A monk prays in the sanctuary, a Tudor woman stands near the font, a Roman child plays in the undercroft. All Hallows is not merely old; it is haunted by every era it has survived, a church where the dead of two millennia still gather for services that never end.

The Church

London’s Oldest

All Hallows claims an extraordinary heritage.

The Foundation: Established 675 AD by the Saxon Abbey of Barking. One of the earliest Christian foundations in London, built on a site already ancient. The Roman settlement here dated to the 2nd century AD, representing almost 1,350 years of continuous worship.

The Name: All Hallows Barking refers to: All Hallows—All Saints, the dedication of the church. Barking—the Abbey that founded it. The Abbey of Barking was in Essex, but held lands in London. The church served as their London outpost. “By the Tower” distinguishes it from other All Hallows churches.

The Survival: What makes All Hallows remarkable: Survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 (barely). Survived extensive World War II bombing (barely). Contains fabric from the 7th century to the present. One of the few City churches with Saxon remains. Continuous use for over a millennium.

A Historian’s Note: “All Hallows is a palimpsest—a document written over again again, but with earlier texts still visible beneath. The Roman pavement lies beneath the Saxon arch, the medieval church absorbed them both, the Victorian restorations added another layer, the post-war reconstruction another. Every age is present here. And every age, it seems, has left its ghosts.”

The Building’s Layers

Archaeological strata made visible.

The Roman Level: Beneath the church: Tessellated pavement from the 2nd century AD. Evidence of a Roman building—possibly a house. A Roman cemetery occupied this site. The ground level was significantly lower then. Roman remains rest beneath the modern floor.

The Saxon Church: The original foundation: A Saxon arch survives from 675 AD. One of the oldest standing structures in London. The original church was modest but significant. Saxon baptisms, marriages, and burials. The font in which saints and martyrs were christened.

The Medieval Development: Growth and elaboration: Rebuilt and expanded over centuries. The crypt dates largely to this period. Connections to the Tower intensified. Wealthy parishioners, powerful patrons. A church at the heart of London’s power.

The Post-War Church: Modern survival: Severely damaged by bombing in 1940. Rebuilt in the 1950s. Preserved the ancient crypt and Saxon remains. Integrated old and new. A working church and a monument to continuity.

The Tower Connection

Location shaped the church’s destiny.

Proximity: All Hallows stands immediately adjacent to Tower Hill. The traditional site of public executions, where the famous and infamous died. The church served those condemned to die and received their remains afterward.

The Executions: Tower Hill saw the deaths of Sir Thomas More (1535)—humanist, saint, Lord Chancellor; Archbishop William Laud (1645)—killed by Parliament; Bishop John Fisher (1535)—executed with More; Hundreds of others, famous and forgotten. Their bodies passed through All Hallows.

The Services: The church performed last rites for the condemned, temporary burial of executed persons, services for the families left behind, a ministry to those who died violently, chaplains who walked with the dying to the scaffold.

A Clergyman’s Reflection: “All Hallows was the last church many condemned people ever entered, and the first to receive their remains. Thomas More’s headless body rested in our crypt before its final burial. That kind of history leaves marks that don’t fade. The church absorbed all that fear, all that courage, all that grief. It still holds it.”

The Hauntings

The Roman Ghosts

The oldest spirits in the church.

The Marching Soldiers: In the crypt, witnesses see Roman legionaries marching in formation, visible from approximately the waist up. Their lower bodies hidden below the modern floor. They walk on the original Roman ground level, following a route that predates the church by five centuries. They do not acknowledge modern observers. They are replaying a scene from almost 2,000 years ago.

The Phenomenon: The soldiers walk at floor level that no longer exists. They follow a route that predates the church by five centuries. Their movements suggest a patrol or march. They do not acknowledge modern observers. They are replaying a scene from almost 2,000 years ago.

The Sounds: Audio phenomena include Latin commands—military orders; the tramp of sandaled feet; equipment sounds—metal on leather; sometimes Latin prayers or conversation. The acoustic echo of Roman London.

A Witness Account: “I was in the crypt alone, photographing the Roman pavement. I became aware of movement—figures passing through my peripheral vision. When I turned, I saw them: soldiers in Roman armor, moving in column. But they were only half-there—I could see them from about here—[gestures to waist level]—upward. Below that, nothing. They were walking on a floor that isn’t there anymore. I could hear their footsteps, but they were coming from below me, from underground. They passed right through where I was standing and kept going, through the wall. I didn’t move for five minutes afterward. I couldn’t.”

The Roman Child

A small ghost in the undercroft.

The Apparition: Witnesses describe a young child—appearing perhaps 6-8 years old, dressed in what appears to be Roman clothing, usually seen in the crypt or undercroft, sometimes apparently playing, sometimes simply standing, watching.

The Theory: The child may be from the Roman cemetery that preceded the church, a victim of disease or accident in Roman London, buried on this site almost 2,000 years ago, one of countless children who died young in the ancient world. Still present in some form.

The Experience: Those who encounter the child report a sense of innocence rather than fear, curiosity—the child seems interested in observers, brief appearances—glimpses rather than sustained sightings, a poignant quality to the encounter, the weight of all those centuries between them.

A Staff Member’s Account: “I’ve seen the child twice. Both times in the crypt, both times in the early morning before we opened. A small figure in the shadows, watching me. Not frightening—there’s nothing threatening about a child. But so sad, when you think about it. Two thousand years, and that little one is still here. Still waiting for parents who died when emperors ruled the world.”

The Execution Victims

Headless ghosts from Tower Hill.

The Apparitions: The most disturbing phenomena: Headless figures walking through the church, bodies carrying their heads or simply lacking them, wearing period clothing—Tudor, Stuart, later. Moving through the nave, the crypt, the side chapels. The victims of Tower executions, still restless.

The Theory: These ghosts may include those whose bodies rested here after execution, those executed on Tower Hill over centuries, the famous (More, Fisher, Laud) and the forgotten, those whose deaths were particularly unjust or traumatic. Spirits bound to the place where their remains were kept.

Specific Sightings: Some witnesses report a figure matching descriptions of Thomas More, a churchman who may be Archbishop Laud, various figures in Tudor and Stuart dress, not all can be identified, not all headless ghosts have famous names.

A Night Security Guard’s Experience: “You do this job long enough, you see things. The headless ones are the worst. A figure walks past, and you think it’s someone staying late, and then you realize there’s nothing above the shoulders. Just neck. I’ve seen it three times. Once I’m certain it was a woman—the dress, the way she moved. Executed for what? Treason? Religion? Being in the wrong place? She’s still walking the church, looking for something. Maybe her head. Maybe peace.”

The Monk

A religious presence in the sanctuary.

The Apparition: Witnesses describe a figure in monastic robes, usually seen near the altar or in the sanctuary, sometimes appearing to be in prayer, moving through the church as if performing duties, an air of devotion and purpose.

The Theory: The monk may be a member of a medieval religious order, connected to the Abbey of Barking that founded the church, a chaplain who served the condemned, one of many clergy who ministered here over centuries, still performing his devotions.

The Experience: Encounters with the monk are generally peaceful—not threatening, associated with the sacred spaces of the church, sometimes accompanied by sounds of chanting or prayer, fleeting—he is glimpsed rather than studied, consistent with a residual haunting.

A Verger’s Account: “I see him perhaps once a year. Always in the sanctuary, always at the edge of vision. A monk at prayer, kneeling where monks have knelt for thirteen centuries. When I turn to look directly, he’s gone. But I know he was there. He’s been praying in this church longer than anyone living. I don’t disturb him. I’m the intruder here, not him.”

The Tudor Woman

A ghost near the baptismal font.

The Apparition: Witnesses describe a woman in Tudor-era dress, usually seen near the font, sometimes appearing to be watching something, sometimes simply standing in contemplation, an elegant figure from the 16th century.

The Connection: The font at All Hallows: is where Princess Elizabeth was baptized in 1533; Elizabeth would become Elizabeth I; her mother, Anne Boleyn, was later executed at the Tower; the church had intimate connections to the Tudor court; the Tudor woman may be connected to this history.

The Identity: Speculation includes a lady-in-waiting at Elizabeth’s baptism, a member of the congregation from the Tudor era, even Anne Boleyn herself (though she was executed at the Tower, not buried here), a mother whose child was baptized at this font, someone connected to the Tudor tragedy.

A Witness’s Description: “She was standing near the font, watching it as if she expected something to happen. A woman in a gown that looked like something from a museum—the square neckline, the heavy sleeves. She was completely absorbed in the font. I said ‘Can I help you?’ and she turned toward me, and then she wasn’t there. Just the font, the empty church, and me. But she’d been real. I’d seen the embroidery on her dress, the pearls in her hair. She was real, and then she wasn’t.”

The Blitz Protector

A benevolent presence during war.

The Story: During World War II: All Hallows was heavily bombed in December 1940; The church was devastated by incendiary bombs; But the medieval crypt survived intact; A verger reported a warning that saved his life.

The Warning: According to the account, the verger was in the church during an air raid; He felt a presence urging him to leave; A voice or compulsion told him to get out now; He left the building immediately; Moments later, a direct hit destroyed the section he’d been in, as if the accumulated dead rose to protect the place they still called home.

The Interpretation: The warning may have come from a protective spirit of the church, one of the many ghosts defending their home, a guardian connected to the site’s sanctity, something older and stranger, a presence that had watched over the church for centuries.

A Contemporary Account: “My grandfather was the verger during the war. He told me about the night All Hallows was bombed. He said something touched his shoulder and told him to leave. Not out loud—inside his head. He didn’t argue with it. He walked out the door and a minute later the roof came down where he’d been standing. He said the ghosts saved him. He said they weren’t going to let him die in their church. He was part of a congregation that has been gathering since the days when London was Londinium, and will gather still when Londinium is forgotten.”

Investigations and Evidence

Paranormal Research

All Hallows has been extensively investigated.

EVP Recordings: Audio evidence has captured sounds of Latin speech—prayers, commands; Responses to questions in unidentified languages; Footsteps in empty spaces; What may be chanting or hymns; Anomalous voices throughout the building.

Electromagnetic Anomalies: Equipment has detected EMF spikes in the crypt and sanctuary; Readings that correlate with reported sightings; Cold spots in specific locations; Energy patterns that suggest activity; Data supporting witness accounts.

Visual Documentation: Photography and video have captured shadow anomalies in the crypt, light patterns without obvious source, possible figures in backgrounds, mists and shapes in photographs, evidence requiring interpretation but difficult to dismiss.

A Investigator’s Report: “All Hallows is one of the most active sites we’ve investigated. The Roman soldiers are a classic example of a residual haunting—replaying events at a ground level that no longer exists. But other phenomena suggest intelligent hauntings—responses to questions, apparent awareness of investigators. The church has both types, overlapping, a palimpsest of ghosts as complex as the building itself.”

The Scientific Interest

What makes All Hallows valuable for research.

The Archaeological Record: Documented stratigraphy—known layers of history; The Roman level is precisely established; When soldiers appear at a specific height, it can be measured; The haunting matches the archaeology; Physical evidence supports supernatural claims.

The Historical Record: Extensive documentation of events here; Known individuals buried or interred; Records of services, baptisms, executions; Hauntings can be correlated with history; The ghosts have historical identities.

The Continuity: Over 1,300 years of reported phenomena; Consistent descriptions across centuries; The same ghosts reported generation after generation; Reliability that strengthens the evidence; A haunting older than most nations.

The Meaning

Why All Hallows Is Haunted

What creates such a concentration of activity.

The Age: Over 1,300 years of continuous use; Layer upon layer of human activity; Countless services, sacraments, deaths; Energy accumulated over millennia; Time itself creates hauntings.

The Trauma: Execution victims, violent deaths; The fear and grief of those who died here; The courage of martyrs and the desperation of criminals; Intense emotion imprinting on the site; Trauma that echoes across centuries.

The Sanctity: A holy site, continuously consecrated; Prayer and worship generating their own energy; The boundary between life and death is thin here; A place where the veil naturally parts; Sacred ground holds the sacred dead.

The Survival: All Hallows endured when others fell; Protected by its dead, perhaps; A survivor accumulates more ghosts; Those who saved it remain to guard it; Continuity creating community across time.

What the Ghosts Suggest

The deeper meaning of All Hallows’ hauntings.

The Persistence of Faith: Monks still pray here; The religious continue their devotions; Faith outlasts death; The church remains consecrated by its dead; Worship never ends.

The Weight of Injustice: The executed still wander; Their deaths were often unjust; The headless seek redress; Some wrongs are never forgotten; The dead demand remembrance.

The Continuity of Community: Every generation is present; Romans, Saxons, Normans, Tudors, Victorians, moderns; All belong to this place; The church holds them all; Time collapses in sacred space.

A Theologian’s Reflection: “All Hallows suggests that death is not a departure but a transition. The Roman soldiers, the Tudor lady, the execution victims—they’re all still part of this community. They still belong to this church, this spot of ground that has been holy for nearly two thousand years. We share the space with them. They don’t haunt us; they accompany us. And someday, we’ll accompany those who come after. All Hallows has been holding services for thirteen centuries. It will hold them for thirteen more. And the ghosts will attend, as they always have, part of a congregation that has been gathering since the days when London was Londinium, and will gather still when Londinium is forgotten.”

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Sources

• Wikipedia search: “All Hallows Barking by the Tower: London”
• Historic England — Listed Buildings — Register of historic sites