Tower of London :: Scary Places

What is the Tower of London?

The Tower of London is definitely on the top 10 list of scariest places on earth. Not only is it where the magnificent Crown Jewels are kept but it's also where ghosts of the most famous people in British history, and even a bear, have been seen. The tower has been nicknamed the Bloody Tower because of how much blood was spilled in it. So many people were murdered in this tower that it's no wonder people claim they've seen ghosts.

Meet the Ghosts!

The tower once served as a prison and a place to be executed. Most of the ghosts are said to be victims who were beheaded or murdered. Many of the ghosts - men, women, children, even a troop of soldiers - are seen walking around, standing at different tower windows or walking through walls.

Famous Phantoms

The ghost most people see is Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. When she didn't give birth to a boy he was furious. He thought she had been cursed and charged her with treason. She was beheaded in the tower in 1536. Another ghost often seen is Henry's fifth wife, Catherine Howard. She was accused of having several lovers so Henry had her beheaded (along with her so-called lovers.) Catherine didn't go down without a fight. She ran from the axeman, screaming for mercy from her husband. The axeman caught up with her and hacked off her head.

Other ghosts that have been seen are two small boys walking hand-in-hand throughout the Bloody Tower. When King Edward V died, his brother Richard took Edward's two sons away from their mom. The Crown Princes, nine and 12, were taken to the tower for their protection, according to Richard. They were never seen again. Years later, two small skeletons were discovered in a chest beneath the stairway of the White Tower. It is assumed that they belong to the two Crown Princes.

I've been to the Tower of London several times and having been, one recurring nightmare, is one about Traitors Gate, a gate opening to the tower via the river, which leads directly to the prison inside. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard would have been taken through this gate. It really makes you think of the terror that people must have experienced. The third time I visited the Tower, I thought I saw the ghost of Thomas Cromwell (Henry VIII replacement adviser after Cardinal Wolsey). When he was beheaded it was a new executioner who had never done an execution before: he ballsed it up and basically had to chop 4 times to sever Cromwell's neck. I saw him walking around the tower's throne room and I only realised who it was when I saw a picture of him in my mum's tudor book at home.
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Age: 14

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