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Thought to be one of the most haunted places in the UK, The Tower of London is well worth a visit.

Don't get too scared now, but there's spooky stuff to be found in Englands capital. If you’re planning a trip to Tower Hill, read on and find out what to expect at arguably Britain’s most famous fortification.

Ghosts of axes, countesses and Anne Boleyn. Things are getting scary, down at the Tower of London.

The earliest known sighting of a ghost at the Tower of London was that of Thomas à Becket, in the mid-thirteenth century. He appeared during the building of the inner curtain wall, and is said to have reduced the work to rubble, by striking it with his cross.

Ghouls

One of the best known hauntings at the Tower is that of the Little Princes (12-year-old King Edward V, and his nine-year-old brother Richard, Duke of York) who died in suspicious circumstances in 1483. They have occasionally been seen in the Bloody Tower, dressed in white night gowns, standing silently, hand in hand, before fading back into the stones. Spooky...

Perhaps the most gruesome ghost to walk the corridors of the Tower is that of the 70-year-old Countess of Salisbury (the last of the Plantagenets) executed by Henry VIII for political reasons. She refused to put her head on the block like a common traitor and, running from the executioner, was pursued by his hacking axe until she met a bloody death. Both a re-enactment of this grisly scene and the shadow of a great axe that falls across the area have been seen haunting the place of her death.

Anne Boleyn

The most persistent ghost at the Tower is that of Queen Anne Boleyn. Described by witnesses as a headless female figure, she drifts from Queen's House to the Chapel of St Peter and Vincula, and leads a procession of dignitaries down the aisle to the site of her final burial place under the chapel's altar.

Possibly, the most haunted part of the Tower is the Salt Tower. Not only do dogs refuse to enter it but Yeoman Warders are also unwilling to visit after nightfall, following an incident when one of their number was nearly throttled by an unseen entity.

Lady Jane Grey was last seen by two guardsmen in 1957. On 12 February, the 403rd anniversary of her execution, they saw a white shape "forming itself on the battlements".

The strangest supernatural encounter was experienced by a rifleman who, in 1864, was court-martialled for neglecting his duty after being found lying unconscious at his post outside the Queen's House. In his defence, he argued that he had been approached by a white figure. He called three times to the figure to identify itself, but received no reply, so he charged with his bayonet - only to go through the figure. Two witnesses who had seen the whole incident from a window in the Bloody Tower corroborated his story and the rifleman was acquitted.

Apparitions

Human apparitions are not the only spirits to haunt the Tower. At the stroke of midnight in January 1815, a sentry patrolling outside the Martin Tower saw, to his horror, a huge bear emerge from the doorway. Desperately, he lunged at it with his bayonet, only for the weapon to pass straight through the beast. His colleagues, hearing the commotion ran to his aid, but found the sentry unconscious on the ground. Within two days, the sentry had died of fright.

The last spooky happening occurred just last year. During a magazine photo shoot, the photographer became increasingly uneasy when flashes went off unexpectedly and his bulbs blew for no reason. When he developed the photos later that evening, he found to his dismay that many were blank and one contained an inexplicable ball of light which seemed to explode at the centre of the picture. The photographer, convinced ghosts were at the heart of the incident, has vowed never to return...

For more things to do and places to visit across the country why not visit our Travel section?

If you do dare to visit HM Tower of London, here are the details: Open all year, except 24-26 December, and 1 January. Price: £11.30 adults, £7.50 children, £8.50 concessions, £34 family ticket. For further information visit the Tower of London website - and the Historic Royal Palaces site, for details of the other main Royal palaces you can visit, namely: Hampton Court, Kensington Palace, Banqueting House and Kew Palace.

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