The Tower of London: Britain's Most Haunted Fortress

For nearly a thousand years, the Tower of London has stood on the north bank of the Thames—a fortress, a royal palace, a prison, and an execution ground. Within its ancient walls, kings have been crowned and murdered, queens have lost their heads, princes have vanished into eternity, and countless prisoners have breathed their last in dungeons where daylight never reached. With such a concentrated history of violent death, it is perhaps unsurprising that the Tower is considered the most haunted building in Britain. Here, the past refuses to stay buried. The ghosts of the Tower walk on—Anne Boleyn still proceeding to her execution, the murdered Princes still searching for a way out, and the screams of the tortured still echoing through stones that have absorbed nearly a millennium of human suffering.

A Fortress of Blood

The Building of the Tower

William the Conqueror began construction of the Tower in 1066, immediately after his victory at the Battle of Hastings. The great stone keep—the White Tower—was completed around 1078 and was designed both as a royal residence and as a symbol of Norman power that would dominate the London skyline.

Construction: The White Tower was:

• Built of Caen stone imported from Normandy
• Approximately 90 feet tall—the tallest building in London at the time
• Designed to be impregnable and intimidating
• A statement that the Norman conquerors were here to stay

Over the following centuries, successive monarchs expanded the complex. By the end of the medieval period, the Tower had grown to include:

• Two curtain walls with defensive towers
• A moat (now dry)
• Multiple gatehouses including the famous Traitors’ Gate
• Royal apartments, chapels, and administrative buildings
• Storerooms, armories, and increasingly—prisons

The Functions of the Tower

The Tower of London has served many purposes throughout its history:

Royal Residence:

• Medieval monarchs lived at the Tower
• It was traditionally the starting point for coronation processions
• The royal apartments were among the finest in England

Treasury: The Tower housed (and still houses):

• The Crown Jewels—the priceless regalia of the British monarchy
• Royal treasury and financial records
• Valuable state documents

Armory:

• The Tower stored the nation’s weapons and armor
• It served as a military headquarters
• The Royal Armouries collection is still displayed there today

Royal Mint:

• English coins were minted at the Tower for centuries
• The Mint operated within the walls until 1810

Royal Menagerie:

• From approximately 1210 to 1835, the Tower housed exotic animals
• Lions, bears, elephants, and other creatures were kept as royal gifts
• The menagerie was eventually transferred to the London Zoo

Prison:

• The Tower held prisoners from the 12th century onward
• Captives were typically high-status—royalty, nobility, and political prisoners
• Conditions ranged from comfortable to horrific depending on status

Execution Ground:

• The Tower was not a place of routine public execution—that was Tyburn
• It was reserved for special cases—those too important or too sensitive for public display
• Executions took place either on Tower Green (private) or Tower Hill (public, just outside the walls)

The Deaths

The Tower’s reputation as a haunted location stems from its use as a place of imprisonment and death. The number of people who died within its walls—by execution, murder, torture, or despair—is impossible to calculate precisely.

Public Executions (Tower Hill): Over 100 people were publicly executed on Tower Hill, including:

• William Wallace (1305)—the Scottish patriot, hanged, drawn, and quartered
• Thomas More (1535)—the Lord Chancellor who refused to accept Henry VIII’s supremacy
• Thomas Cromwell (1540)—Henry VIII’s chief minister, once all-powerful
• Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat (1747)—the last person publicly beheaded in Britain

Private Executions (Tower Green): Only seven people received the “privilege” of private execution on Tower Green:

• William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings (1483)—executed without trial by Richard III
• Anne Boleyn (1536)—Queen of England
• Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (1541)—the elderly countess
• Catherine Howard (1542)—Queen of England
• Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford (1542)—executed with Catherine Howard
• Lady Jane Grey (1554)—the Nine Days Queen
• Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1601)—former favorite of Elizabeth I

Murders: Many prisoners died within the Tower without the formality of execution:

• The Princes in the Tower (1483)—Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, disappeared and were presumably murdered
• Henry VI (1471)—murdered in the Wakefield Tower while at prayer
• George, Duke of Clarence (1478)—traditionally said to have been drowned in a barrel of Malmsey wine
• Countless political prisoners who died of “natural causes” or simply vanished

Torture: The Tower contained instruments of torture, including:

• The Rack—which stretched the body until joints dislocated
• The Manacles—which suspended prisoners by their wrists
• Skeffington’s Gyves (the Scavenger’s Daughter)—which compressed the body
• The torture chambers were used to extract confessions and information

The First Ghost: Thomas Becket (1241)

The Phantom Archbishop

The earliest recorded ghost sighting at the Tower dates to 1241—remarkably, the ghost of a man who was not killed there.

Thomas Becket (1118-1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury, famously murdered by four knights in Canterbury Cathedral after his conflict with King Henry II. However, before becoming Archbishop, Becket had served as Constable of the Tower under Henry II.

The Collapse: During the reign of King Henry III (grandson of Henry II), workers were constructing the Inner Curtain Wall. Twice during construction, the newly built walls mysteriously collapsed.

The Apparition: According to medieval chronicles, witnesses reported seeing the ghost of Thomas Becket appearing at the construction site, striking the walls with his cross—causing them to crumble. The interpretation was that Becket’s spirit was taking revenge on the descendants of the king who had caused his martyrdom.

The Resolution: Henry III responded by building a chapel dedicated to St. Thomas within the Tower. According to legend, once the chapel was complete, no further disturbances occurred—as if Becket’s spirit was appeased.

Historical Note: Records confirm that the western gatehouse collapsed in 1240 “as if struck by an earthquake.” Whether Becket’s ghost was responsible, or whether the story developed to explain a construction failure, the tale establishes the Tower’s supernatural reputation from its earliest centuries.

Anne Boleyn: The Tower’s Most Famous Ghost

The Queen’s Rise and Fall

Anne Boleyn (c. 1501-1536) is the most iconic figure in the Tower’s haunted history. Her story encompasses the Tower’s dual nature as a place of triumph and tragedy.

The Background: Anne was the second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of the future Elizabeth I. Her marriage to Henry caused:

• England’s break with Rome
• The creation of the Church of England
• The dissolution of the monasteries
• Fundamental transformation of English society

The Charges: After failing to produce a male heir, Anne was arrested on May 2, 1536, and charged with:

• Adultery with five men
• Incest with her brother George
• Treason against the King

The charges were almost certainly fabricated. Henry had already chosen his third wife, Jane Seymour, and needed Anne eliminated.

Imprisonment: Anne was held in the Tower—in the Queen’s House, the same royal apartments where she had stayed before her coronation just three years earlier. The cruel irony was not lost on her.

The Execution: On May 19, 1536, Anne was executed on Tower Green. As a final “mercy,” Henry had imported a French swordsman rather than using the traditional axe—the sword was considered more dignified and less likely to require multiple strokes.

Anne’s reported final words were gracious:

“I pray God save the King and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never: and to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord.”

The Burial: No proper coffin had been prepared. Anne’s body and severed head were placed in an arrow chest and buried in the Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula, within the Tower.

The Sightings

Anne Boleyn is the most frequently reported ghost at the Tower of London. She has been seen for nearly five centuries.

The Chapel Royal: Multiple witnesses have reported a ghostly procession in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula:

• A female figure in Tudor dress leading a procession of knights and ladies
• Sometimes described as headless
• Sometimes described as carrying her head under her arm
• Moving down the aisle toward the altar where she lies buried

The 1864 Sighting: One of the most detailed accounts comes from 1864, when a Captain of the Guard noticed a light burning in the locked and empty chapel late at night. He climbed to a window to investigate and witnessed:

• A spectral procession of figures in Tudor dress
• A woman resembling Anne Boleyn at the head
• The procession moving silently through the chapel
• The figures vanishing as he watched

Tower Green: Guards have reported seeing Anne’s ghost near the site of her execution:

• A female figure standing where the scaffold once stood
• Wearing a grey or blue dress in Tudor style
• Sometimes appearing to weep
• Vanishing when approached

The White Tower: In 1817, a guard reported seeing a white figure emerge from the fog near the White Tower. When he challenged it with his bayonet, the weapon passed through the apparition. The guard fainted and was found unconscious at his post.

The 1864 Guard Incident: A guard named reportedly encountered Anne Boleyn’s ghost in the courtyard:

• A white figure moving toward him, feet not touching the ground
• He charged with his bayonet but passed straight through her form
• He fainted on the spot
• Remarkably, he was not court-martialed for abandoning his post—he was acquitted when he described what he had seen

The Queen’s House: Staff in the Queen’s House (where Anne was imprisoned) report:

• Doors opening and closing by themselves
• Cold spots in specific areas
• The sensation of being watched
• A presence in the rooms where Anne awaited death

Beyond the Tower

Anne’s ghost has been reported at other locations connected to her life:

• Hever Castle—her childhood home in Kent
• Blickling Hall—where she may have been born, where she allegedly arrives in a ghostly coach every year on the anniversary of her death
• Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace

Anne Boleyn, in death as in life, refuses to be confined.

The Princes in the Tower

The Disappearance

Perhaps the greatest unsolved mystery in English history occurred within the Tower’s walls.

In April 1483, following the death of King Edward IV, his two sons were lodged in the Tower:

• Edward V, the new king, aged 12
• Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, aged 9

Their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was named Lord Protector. The boys were housed in the Tower ostensibly in preparation for Edward’s coronation.

The Usurpation: Within months, Richard declared the princes illegitimate (claiming their parents’ marriage was invalid) and claimed the throne as Richard III.

The Disappearance: The boys were last seen in the summer of 1483, playing in the Tower gardens. After that, they simply vanished. They were never seen alive again.

Who Was Responsible? Richard III remains the prime suspect, but other theories include:

• Henry VII—who defeated Richard and took the throne in 1485
• The Duke of Buckingham—Richard’s ally who later rebelled
• Unknown assassins acting on various orders

No bodies were found during their lifetimes.

The 1674 Discovery: In 1674, workmen repairing a staircase in the White Tower discovered a wooden chest containing the bones of two children. The bones were examined (superficially by 17th-century standards) and declared to be those of the princes. They were reinterred in an urn in Westminster Abbey, where they remain today.

Modern requests to examine the bones using DNA analysis have been refused.

The Ghostly Princes

The ghosts of the two princes are among the most frequently reported and most heartbreaking apparitions at the Tower.

The Descriptions: Witnesses consistently describe:

• Two small figures in white nightgowns
• Holding hands
• Appearing sad, lost, or frightened
• Moving through the corridors as if searching for someone

In the Bloody Tower: The Bloody Tower (originally the Garden Tower) is particularly associated with the princes:

• Guards have seen two child-sized figures descending the stairs
• The children appear to be looking for something or trying to escape
• They fade away when approached

Near the White Tower: Where their remains may have been hidden:

• Two figures seen playing or hiding
• The children sometimes appear to be running
• Witnesses describe an overwhelming feeling of pity and sorrow

Behavior: Unlike some Tower ghosts, the princes are never described as threatening. They appear:

• Helpless—children trapped in a nightmare
• Confused—as if they don’t understand what happened
• Seeking—as if looking for their mother or some way out

The princes’ ghosts are considered among the most poignant in all of British haunted history—innocent children murdered for political convenience, their spirits unable to find peace even after five centuries.

Lady Jane Grey: The Nine Days Queen

The Tragic Puppet Queen

Lady Jane Grey (1537-1554) was queen of England for just nine days in July 1553. She never wanted the throne and paid for it with her life.

The Background: Jane was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII and had a claim to the throne. When the Protestant King Edward VI was dying, he was persuaded to name Jane as his successor instead of his Catholic half-sister Mary—partly to preserve Protestantism, partly to serve the ambitions of Jane’s father-in-law, the Duke of Northumberland.

The Brief Reign: Jane was proclaimed queen on July 10, 1553. She reportedly wept at the news, knowing the danger. Within nine days, popular support had swung to the rightful heir, Mary Tudor. Jane was deposed without ever being crowned.

The Imprisonment: Jane was imprisoned in the Tower, in the Gentleman Gaoler’s lodgings. For months, Mary seemed inclined to spare her—Jane was clearly a pawn rather than a plotter.

However, after Protestant rebellions threatened Mary’s throne, Jane became too dangerous to leave alive.

The Execution: On February 12, 1554, Jane was executed on Tower Green. She was 16 or 17 years old.

Contemporary accounts describe her as composed and dignified:

• She refused to look at her husband’s headless body as she passed it
• She made a speech affirming her Protestant faith
• She blindfolded herself and felt for the block, saying: “What shall I do? Where is it?”
• Her final words were: “Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”

The Anniversary Ghost

Jane Grey’s ghost is unusual in that she appears primarily on the anniversary of her death.

The 1957 Sighting: On February 12, 1957, two guards independently reported seeing:

• A white shape forming atop the battlements of the Salt Tower
• The shape coalescing into the figure of a young woman
• The figure appearing to look down at Tower Green
• The apparition fading after several minutes

Other Sightings: Jane has also been seen:

• In the Beauchamp Tower, where her husband Lord Guildford Dudley carved her name into the wall
• On Tower Green, near the execution site
• Walking the corridors where she was imprisoned

The Description: Jane is typically described as:

• A small, slight figure
• Dressed in white
• Appearing peaceful but sad
• Young—clearly a teenager

Her ghost seems resigned rather than anguished—a young woman who accepted her fate with remarkable dignity.

Margaret Pole: The Botched Execution

The Elderly Countess

Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (1473-1541), holds the grim distinction of being the oldest woman ever executed at the Tower. She was approximately 67 years old when she died.

The Background: Margaret was of royal blood—the niece of two kings (Edward IV and Richard III) and the last of the Plantagenet line. She had committed no crime. Her offense was being the mother of Cardinal Reginald Pole, who had criticized Henry VIII’s religious policies from the safety of Rome.

Unable to reach the son, Henry struck at the mother.

The Execution: On May 27, 1541, the elderly countess was led to the block on Tower Green. What followed was one of the most horrific scenes in the Tower’s history.

According to witnesses:

• The executioner was young and inexperienced
• His first blow missed her neck, striking her shoulder
• Margaret reportedly leapt from the block and ran
• The executioner chased her, hacking at her as she fled
• It took multiple blows—some accounts say ten or eleven—to kill her

The scene was described as a massacre rather than an execution.

The Running Ghost

Margaret Pole’s ghost is said to re-enact her terrible death on the anniversary:

• A female figure running across Tower Green, arms flailing
• Screaming sounds near the execution site
• A white figure appearing to collapse near the chapel

Her ghost is considered one of the most disturbing at the Tower—not a peaceful shade but a spirit trapped forever in the horror of her final moments.

Other Famous Ghosts

Henry VI: The Murdered King

Henry VI (1421-1471) was a gentle, pious king utterly unsuited for the brutal politics of his era. He was deposed during the Wars of the Roses, briefly restored, then captured and imprisoned in the Tower.

The Murder: On May 21, 1471, Henry was murdered in the Wakefield Tower. According to tradition, he was at prayer when his killer struck. The chief suspect is Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III), though proof is lacking.

The Ghost: Henry’s spirit reportedly appears:

• On the anniversary of his death (May 21)
• In the Wakefield Tower where he was killed
• As a pacing, praying figure
• Accompanied by the smell of candles and incense

A memorial marks the spot where he died, and fresh flowers are traditionally placed there on the anniversary.

Sir Walter Raleigh: The Explorer

Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1552-1618), the famous explorer, poet, and courtier, spent 13 years imprisoned in the Tower under James I. His imprisonment was relatively comfortable—he was allowed to write, receive visitors, and even grow tobacco in a garden.

He was finally executed at Westminster in 1618 (not at the Tower), but his ghost has been reported at the Tower where he spent so much of his later life:

• A tall figure in Elizabethan dress walking the walls he once paced
• A presence in the Bloody Tower where he was held
• The smell of tobacco in areas he frequented

Catherine Howard: The Screaming Queen

Catherine Howard (c. 1523-1542), the fifth wife of Henry VIII, was executed at the Tower for alleged adultery at approximately age 19.

Her ghost is most famously associated with Hampton Court Palace, where she allegedly runs screaming through the “Haunted Gallery.” However, she has also been seen at the Tower:

• In the Queen’s House
• Near the Chapel Royal where she is buried
• On Tower Green

Witnesses describe a young woman appearing distressed or terrified.

The Spectral Bear

One of the Tower’s strangest ghosts is that of a bear—presumably one of the animals that died in the Royal Menagerie.

In 1816, a sentry guarding the Jewel House saw:

• A huge bear-like shape emerge from beneath a door
• The guard attempted to bayonet it, but his weapon passed through
• The guard reportedly died of fright shortly afterward

While details may be embellished, the story has persisted, and other guards have reported animal shapes in areas where the menagerie once stood.

Arbella Stuart

Lady Arbella Stuart (1575-1615), a cousin of James I with a claim to the throne, was imprisoned in the Tower after marrying without the king’s permission. She went on hunger strike and died, possibly by starvation, in 1615.

Her ghost is seen:

• In the Queen’s House
• As a figure in white dress, appearing sorrowful
• Sometimes walking the corridors after dark

Modern Sightings and Investigations

The Yeoman Warders

The Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) are retired military personnel who live within the Tower and serve as ceremonial guardians. They are uniquely positioned to experience the paranormal—and many have.

Reported Experiences: Warders have described:

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

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

Continuing Reports

The Tower remains one of the most actively haunted locations in the world:

21st Century Sightings:

• 2015 — A Yeoman Warder reported seeing a figure in Tudor dress in the chapel who vanished when approached
• 2017 — Visitors reported a woman in white near the scaffold site who disappeared while being watched
• Ongoing — Visitors regularly report cold spots, electronic equipment malfunctions, and the sensation of being touched

Children’s Experiences: Interestingly, children often report seeing figures in “funny old clothes” that adults cannot perceive. Some researchers suggest children may be more receptive to paranormal phenomena.

Paranormal Investigation

The Tower has been investigated by numerous paranormal research groups:

• Electronic voice phenomena (EVP) recordings have captured unexplained sounds
• Electromagnetic field (EMF) anomalies have been detected
• Temperature variations have been measured in allegedly haunted areas
• Photography has produced numerous disputed images

Why Is the Tower So Haunted?

Theories

Concentrated Trauma: Nearly a millennium of violent death, torture, and imprisonment has occurred within a relatively small area. The emotional intensity may have left permanent imprints.

Stone Tape Theory: Some researchers suggest that stone and certain building materials can “record” traumatic events and “replay” them under certain conditions. The Tower’s ancient stone may hold centuries of suffering.

Residual vs. Intelligent Haunting: Some Tower ghosts (like Anne Boleyn’s procession) may be residual—recordings replaying automatically. Others (like the searching Princes) seem aware of their surroundings, suggesting conscious spirits.

Sheer Volume: With hundreds (possibly thousands) of deaths over nearly a thousand years, the statistical likelihood of hauntings increases.

Skeptical Perspectives

Skeptics offer alternative explanations:

• Suggestion and expectation—visitors see what they expect in such a famous location
• Misidentification—the Tower employs staff in historical costume
• Embellishment—stories elaborated over centuries
• Natural phenomena—the ancient buildings create acoustic effects, temperature variations, and shadows

Visiting the Tower

What to Expect

The Tower of London welcomes nearly 3 million visitors annually. It remains one of Britain’s premier attractions.

Highlights:

• The Crown Jewels—the priceless royal regalia
• The White Tower—the original Norman keep with the Royal Armouries
• The Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula—final resting place of Anne Boleyn and others
• The Bloody Tower—associated with the Princes
• The Ravens—the famous birds whose presence supposedly protects the kingdom

Ghost Tours: Evening ghost tours are occasionally offered, and the Yeoman Warders include supernatural tales in their regular tours.

Best Times for Ghost Hunters:

• Evening tours (when available)
• Anniversary dates of famous executions
• Quiet weekdays with fewer crowds
• Winter months when darkness falls early

The Experience

Whether or not you encounter a ghost, the Tower offers:

• An overwhelming sense of history
• Genuinely atmospheric medieval architecture
• Knowledgeable guides with centuries of stories
• The strange feeling that the past is very close

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They came to the Tower as prisoners and left as ghosts. For nearly a thousand years, the fortress on the Thames has collected souls—kings and queens, lords and ladies, princes and peasants, the guilty and the innocent. Anne Boleyn still walks to her execution, her head sometimes tucked beneath her arm. The little Princes still wander the corridors in their nightgowns, holding hands, searching for a way out. The screams of Margaret Pole still echo across Tower Green as she runs from the executioner’s blade. The dead of the Tower do not rest. Perhaps they cannot rest—not while injustice remains unanswered, not while their stories remain untold, not while the ancient stones remember every death that occurred within their embrace. Walk the Tower if you dare. Feel the weight of history pressing down on you. And know that you walk where the condemned walked, where the murdered fell, where the tortured screamed. The Tower of London is beautiful and terrible. It is a monument to power and to death. And it is very, very haunted.

Sources

• Wikipedia search: “The Tower of London: Britain”
• Historic England — Listed Buildings — Register of historic sites