Steeped in a thousand years of betrayals, executions, and whispers, the Tower of London transforms into an otherworldly fairground during Halloween. Legend has it that this stone fortress harbors so many ghosts that some roam its halls despite never having set foot here, while others aren’t even human. As fog settles in this Halloween, clutching a hot drink while wandering between the towers, you might struggle to discern whether it’s the chime of bells or the trembling breath of the past echoing in your ears. Here’s a guide to the most infamous hauntings—and where you might encounter them—to make your night even more spine-chilling.
Turn the first corner, and don’t be surprised to spot the headless Queen Anne Boleyn drifting across Tower Green; her gaze is absent, but the echo of her steps lingers. Further along, on the night of May 21, the silhouette of Henry VI appears praying in Wakefield Tower—disciplined as a calendar, mournful as his soul. Along the upper walkways of the Bloody Tower, the faint trace of Lady Jane Grey in white glides, while in Beauchamp Tower, her husband Guilford Dudley’s shadow merges with the wall inscriptions. At the heart of the castle, the “White Lady” scents the stones of the White Tower with a waft of perfume—a ghostly presence leaving an all-too-earthly mark.
If you encounter Sir Walter Raleigh drifting like a tobacco cloud along Raleigh’s Walk, you might notice him counting his steps to the rhythm of history—a traveler whose freedom was stolen, patient in eternity. Near the chapel, brace yourself for shivers if you hear childish whispers: the “Princes in the Tower” wander hand in hand, slipping between rooms, leaving a rustle as ambiguous as their fate. Deep groans from the Queen’s House might bring Guy Fawkes to mind, though 19th-century tales suggest the source could be a cat stuck in a chimney—even the Tower’s best ghost stories sometimes yield to feline reality.
The cruelest twist of fate belongs to Margaret Pole, whose desperate flight from the executioner’s axe is said to replay on some nights at Tower Green, over and over. On Christmas Eve 1900, the Scottish Queen Mary, who never visited the Tower, is rumored to have screamed from the top of Constable Tower; perhaps haunting is a form of remembrance that defies distance. In the 13th century, Thomas Becket’s ghost is said to have razed the western wall; that “invisible blow” may be history’s unyielding memory of upheaval.
In the dark corridors, if a “swollen, ruddy face” lunges at you, you might hear the hoarse breath of Henry VIII, who once chased a guard in 1890. Standing before his armor, a heaviness in your chest could be just the air—or the ghost of power seeping into the present. Some believe a “shadow of an axe” on Tower Green’s wall foretells royal deaths; when the shadow falls, time itself bends. In Martin Tower, a 1817 account describes a “glass tube-like” cylinder—white and pale blue, as otherworldly as a lava lamp—briefly stifling warm breaths before vanishing. And at the Jewel House gate, a “giant bear” once emerged. A guard’s bayonet pierced not the ghost but the door; the guard died of fright days later. Ghost or fiction, it’s the Tower’s most stubborn tale, bearing the mark of a nonhuman haunting.
If your path leads to the Tower of London this Halloween, seek quieter spots along the return route by the riverbank, in the shadows of the towers, or where the wind howls through empty spaces. Beyond the bloody tales told by Beefeaters, the true power of these stones lies in their whisper: “I was here.” Remember: ghosts, if they exist, aren’t in a hurry to be seen—but if you know how to look, the Tower unfolds before your eyes on Halloween night.
If you’re brave enough, linger alone by Martin Tower. Close your eyes. Stone, wind, river… and perhaps the faint echo of an ancient breath whispering at your ear.
Details:
Location: Tower of London, London
Event: Halloween at the Tower
Note: No specific exhibition details are provided, but the Tower’s ghostly lore is a year-round draw, especially amplified during Halloween.
