All Hallows by the Tower: Crusader Ghosts and the Spirits of London's Oldest Church

All Hallows by the Tower holds a distinction unmatched by any other building in the City of London: continuous worship for over 1,350 years. Founded in 675 AD on Roman foundations, it has witnessed the entire sweep of English history—Viking raids and Norman conquest, Crusader departures and plague burials, Reformation martyrdoms and Great Fire survival, Victorian expansion and Blitz devastation. Samuel Pepys climbed its tower to watch London burn in 1666; William Penn was baptized in its font; John Quincy Adams married within its walls. Bodies from the Tower’s scaffold rested in its crypt, and Crusader knights gathered in its nave before departing for the Holy Land. This extraordinary accumulation of history has created one of London’s most intensely haunted locations. Crusaders in chain mail still kneel at prayer before vanishing. Roman soldiers examine the tessellated pavement they knew in life. Tudor figures await the arrival of executed loved ones from Tower Hill. And beneath everything, in the ancient crypt where Roman and Saxon meet, something very old remains—watching, praying, persisting through the centuries.

The Church

The Foundation

All Hallows’ origins are ancient even by London standards.

The Saxon Beginning: Founded 675 AD by the Abbey of Barking, one of the first Christian churches in London. Built during the reign of King Caedwalla of Wessex, the Saxon abbey maintained it for centuries. One of the oldest continuous Christian sites in Britain.

The Roman Inheritance: Beneath the Saxon church: Roman tessellated pavement from the 2nd century AD, evidence of a Roman domestic building, reused Roman tiles in the Saxon walls, a Roman cemetery preceded the church. The site has been occupied for nearly 2,000 years.

The Name: “All Hallows by the Tower” indicates All Hallows—All Saints’ Day dedication, by the Tower—proximity to the Tower of London, distinguishing it from other All Hallows churches. The Tower connection proved fateful. Location shaped destiny.

A Historian’s Observation: “All Hallows is unique among London churches in its historical continuity. While St. Paul’s was rebuilt, Westminster Abbey was reconstructed, and most medieval churches were destroyed or radically altered, All Hallows maintained its fabric across centuries. The Roman foundations support Saxon walls that carry medieval additions beneath post-war reconstruction. Every era is present, physically and spiritually.”

The Layers of History

Each century added to the church’s significance.

The Crusader Connection: During the medieval period, All Hallows served as a mustering point for Crusaders. Knights gathered here before departing for the Holy Land, Crusader brasses mark their presence. They prayed in this church before leaving England, many never returned.

The Tower Proximity: The church’s grim function – Bodies of Tower victims were brought here. St. Thomas More (1535)—rested here after execution, Archbishop William Laud (1645)—buried here, Bishop John Fisher (1535)—another martyred churchman. The church received the violent dead.

Famous Associations: Notable connections include Samuel Pepys watched the Great Fire from the tower (1666), William Penn (founder of Pennsylvania) was baptized here (1644), John Quincy Adams (future US President) married here (1797). The parish register reads like a history book. The famous and infamous all passed through.

The Blitz: World War II devastation—Heavy bombing in December 1940, the church was largely destroyed, the ancient crypt survived, post-war rebuilding incorporated old and new. The destruction revealed hidden Roman and Saxon layers.

The Crypt

The heart of All Hallows’ supernatural activity.

The Space: The crypt contains Roman pavement—original 2nd-century floor, Saxon arches—from the 675 AD foundation, Medieval stonework—additions over centuries. Artifacts from every period, a tangible timeline of London.

The Atmosphere: Visitors describe a profound sense of antiquity, temperature drops of 15-20 degrees, sounds that don’t match the modern world, the smell of incense when none burns, overwhelming spiritual presence.

The Significance: The crypt matters because it connects directly to Roman London, it preserves Saxon Christianity, it holds the accumulated weight of centuries, the oldest parts are the most haunted, the deeper you go, the stranger it becomes.

The Crusader Ghosts

The Knights at Prayer

The most distinctive haunting at All Hallows.

The Apparitions: Witnesses report seeing knights in chain mail armor, wearing white surcoats with red crosses—Crusader identifying marks, kneeling in prayer positions, appearing completely absorbed in devotion, fading gradually from view.

The Details: When clearly seen, medieval Crusader equipment, the Templar or Hospitaller insignia, weapons at their sides, helmets removed for prayer, the stance and posture of supplicants.

The Behavior: The knights do not acknowledge modern observers, remain in prayer throughout sightings, appear to be preparing for something, vanish when approached or after several minutes, leave no physical trace.

A Witness’s Account: “I was in the church early morning, alone except for a few tourists. Near the altar, I saw them—three men in armor, kneeling. They wore white over their chain mail, with red crosses. I thought it was some kind of historical society event at first. Then I realized I could see the floor through them. They were praying, completely still, completely absorbed. I watched for maybe two minutes. Then they faded—didn’t walk away, didn’t get up. Just gradually became transparent and then were gone. I found out later that Crusaders used to pray here before leaving for the Holy Land. I think I saw some of them. I think they’re still leaving.”

The Context

Why Crusaders haunt this church.

The Historical Role: All Hallows served the Crusades—knights gathered here before departure, they made confession and heard Mass, they said farewell to families, for many, it was their last English church, the prayers here were desperate and sincere.

The Deaths: Many Crusaders died in the Holy Land—battle, disease, hardship, never returned to England, their bodies were never brought home, their souls may have returned instead, to the church where they last prayed.

The Intensity: The prayers at departure would have been fervent—they faced death, sincere—they sought divine protection, final—many knew they wouldn’t return, that intensity may have imprinted the last prayers echoing forever.

A Theologian’s View: “The Crusaders who prayed at All Hallows were preparing for what they believed was holy war. They confessed sins, received communion, made their peace with God. The emotional and spiritual intensity of those moments was extraordinary. If any prayers could imprint on a location, it would be those—the last petitions of men about to face death for their faith. That they still appear here, still kneeling, still praying, suggests those prayers never truly ended.”

Other Medieval Ghosts

The Crusaders are not alone.

Monastic Figures: Also reported in the church—monks and friars in robed processions, following medieval routes through the building, chanting in Latin, carrying candles or incense, performing services long since ended.

Medieval Bells: Audio phenomena include bells ringing in patterns not used today, the sound of pre-Reformation changes, sequences that match medieval practice, bells that no longer exist being heard, the acoustic memory of centuries.

The Plague Dead: Some reports suggest figures in medieval dress showing signs of illness, the appearance of plague victims, London’s medieval plagues left many dead, All Hallows buried them, they may remain in the church’s spiritual space.

The Tower Victims

The Execution Connection

Location linked All Hallows to violent death.

The Proximity: All Hallows stands 400 yards from the Tower of London, adjacent to Tower Hill, the execution site, on the route bodies traveled from scaffold to burial, serving as temporary resting place, receiving the violently dead.

The Process: After execution, bodies were brought to All Hallows, they rested in the crypt temporarily, families made arrangements, some were buried here permanently, the church absorbed their final moments.

The Victims: Those who passed through included St. Thomas More (1535)—humanist, martyr, Lord Chancellor, Archbishop William Laud (1645)—killed during the Civil War, Bishop John Fisher (1535)—executed with More, hundreds of others over centuries, the famous and the forgotten.

The Apparitions

The executed dead manifest here.

The Waiting Figures: Near the church entrance, Tudor and Stuart figures appear, in period dress of various eras, appearing distressed or expectant, as if waiting for someone or something, perhaps awaiting the arrival of loved ones’ bodies.

The Headless Bishop: A figure in bishop’s robes, without a head, believed to be one of the martyred clergy—Fisher or another executed churchman, still present in the church that received him.

The Experience: Witnesses describe overwhelming sadness near these figures, the sense of grief and shock, the atmosphere of violent death, not threatening but deeply melancholic, the weight of Tudor tragedy.

A Staff Member’s Account: “The entrance area has a different feel. People report seeing figures there—waiting figures, upset figures. I’ve seen them myself, once: a man and woman in old-fashioned clothes, standing as if they expected someone to arrive. They looked distraught. When I approached to ask if they needed help, they weren’t there. I think they were waiting for a body. I think they’re still waiting.”*

The Roman Ghosts

The Oldest Spirits

The church’s Roman foundations have their own dead.

The Soldiers: In the crypt, visitors report Roman legionaries examining the pavement, appearing translucent against the medieval surroundings, moving through spaces that don’t match current walls, anachronistic in the Christian setting, remnants of Roman Londinium.

The Pavement Connection: The Roman tessellated floor dates to the 2nd century AD, was part of a Roman house, the soldiers may have known it in life, they appear to be inspecting or remembering it.

The Sounds: Audio phenomena include Latin speech—conversation, commands, the sound of sandalied feet, military equipment sounds, sometimes Roman music or street noise, the acoustic ghost of Londinium.

An Archaeologist’s Experience: “I was studying the Roman pavement—it’s an extraordinary survival. I became aware of movement, figures at the edge of vision. When I looked directly, I could just see them: soldiers, Roman soldiers, looking at the same pavement I was studying. They seemed as interested in it as I was. Perhaps more so—it was theirs, after all. They were there for perhaps thirty seconds, then not. I’ve worked many Roman sites. I’ve never experienced anything like that.”

The World War II Ghosts

The Blitz Spirits

Modern warfare left its own supernatural residue.

The First Aid Station: During the Blitz, All Hallows served as a first aid post, Civil Defense workers operated here, the injured and dying were treated, air raids devastated the area, the church saw intense wartime trauma.

The Phenomena: Post-war visitors report air raid sirens sounding when none are active, the smell of antiseptic and medical supplies, figures in Civil Defense uniforms, stretchers glimpsed being carried, the atmosphere of wartime emergency.

The Apparitions: Specific sightings include men and women in 1940s clothing, wearing tin helmets and armbands, moving with purpose as if responding to emergency, vanishing when approached or acknowledged, the ghosts of the Home Front.

A Visitor’s Account: “I was in the church on a quiet afternoon. Suddenly I smelled something medical—iodine, or something like it. Then I heard a siren, but distant, like it was underground. I saw a woman in a dark uniform with a white armband hurry past. I followed her toward the door and she wasn’t there. I asked the verger about it. He said others had seen the wartime ghosts. He said the church never forgets what happened in it.”

The Spiritual Layering

All Hallows’ unique supernatural character.

The Overlap: The phenomena here are simultaneous—different eras appearing together, layered—Roman beneath Saxon beneath medieval beneath modern, complex—multiple hauntings interacting, continuous—ongoing across centuries, A complex supernatural environment

The Experience: Visitors may encounter Crusaders praying while Roman soldiers pass behind them, Tudor mourners waiting near WWII medics, Medieval monks chanting while Victorian visitors watch, all present at once, all belonging here, Time collapsed in sacred space.

A Paranormal Investigator’s Analysis: “All Hallows is the most layered haunting I’ve ever investigated. It’s not one ghost or one era—it’s everything, all at once. The Roman soldiers don’t know about the Crusaders. The Crusaders don’t know about the WWII wardens. But they’re all here, all using the same space, all part of the church’s community across time. It’s as if the building holds everyone who ever mattered here, and they all coexist in some dimension we can only glimpse occasionally.”

The Famous Connections

Samuel Pepys: The diarist and the Great Fire. Samuel Pepys climbed All Hallows’ tower to watch London burn in 1666, his words preserved the moment.

William Penn: The founder of Pennsylvania began here. William Penn was christened at the font.

John Quincy Adams: An American president married here. John Quincy Adams married Louisa Catherine Johnson here in 1797.

Investigations and Evidence

The findings: EVP recordings capturing Latin and medieval English, temperature anomalies particularly in the crypt, EMF spikes correlating with witness reports, photographic anomalies—mists, shadows, figures, consistent results across multiple investigations.

The Crypt Focus: The crypt produces the most intense cold spots, the highest EMF readings, the most consistent apparition sightings, the strongest audio phenomena, where Roman meets Saxon, activity peaks.

The Multiple Phenomena: Research confirms residual hauntings—the Crusaders, the soldiers, intelligent responses—some phenomena react to questions, environmental triggers—activity increases in certain conditions, temporal confusion—multiple eras manifesting together, continuous—ongoing across centuries, A complex supernatural environment.

Visiting All Hallows

Access: The church offers daily opening for visitors, crypt tours showing Roman and Saxon remains, brass rubbing center, regular Anglican services, check current hours before visiting.

What to See: Historical highlights include the Roman pavement in the crypt, Saxon arches from 675 AD, the font where Penn was baptized, Crusader brasses on the floor, post-war reconstruction integrating ancient elements.

What to Experience: Spend time in the crypt, early morning or late afternoon may be optimal, the Crusader area near the altar, the entrance where Tower victims’ families waited, respect that this is a working church.

A Regular Visitor’s Guidance: “I’ve visited All Hallows dozens of times. The Crusaders I’ve seen once—kneeling, praying, gone. The Roman soldiers, never. But the atmosphere in the crypt is consistent: ancient, heavy, present. Whether you see anything or not, you’ll feel something. You’re standing where Romans walked, where Saxons prayed, where Crusaders asked God for victory. That kind of history has weight. Sometimes you see it. Always you feel it.”*

Sources

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