The crowd was gathered together by a decoratively dressed Yeoman Warder just inside the West Gate to the Tower on the cold night of Thursday 9th November. We were joined by a second gentleman similarly dressed and taken into the Tower precinct where we stopped for our first set of stories. We were regaled with the ghostly goings on within the Sallyport, one of the oldest guard-rooms in the world. It is graced by a fire to keep the guards warm on cold winter nights such as this. Originally an open fire, it is now a modern gas appliance. In 1982 a colleague of our guide was standing guard within that room and saw the fire change from its current gas outlet into a roaring log fire, flanked by two men dressed in black stockings and breaches. He looked at them, they looked at him, and then he ran out of the room. It was more than two years after that event before he would stand duty in that room again. There were other stories of armed guards turned out to hunt for mysterious caped strangers walking the walls.

Our Yeoman Warder also told the well-documented story of the soldier who stood guard during the war years. London was being bombed every night and there were, of course, no lights and no-one about. On one dank and misty night our guard saw a procession of people walk from Tower Hill (where executions were carried out) back to the Tower, in silence and very distinctive clothing. Later on, when describing the costumes, they were identified as that of theYeoman warders and the Sheriff of the Tower during medieval times. A body was seen lying on a pallet carried by the warders, with its a head upon a pike. Needless to say that that soldier was reluctant to continue his duty of guarding the Tower at night from unwanted intruders.

During the stories my mind wandered and I noticed that a Tudor dressed lady in black, with a white wimple, was standing behind me, a ghost on the wind. She was quiet and patient, as if she had been waiting for centuries. Unfortunately as I was in the tour I did not have time to attempt communication with her. Needless to say she was invisible to anyone else.

After our guide had finished we were ushered along to Traitors' Gate, the most notorious entrance to the Tower as it was from this gate that Henry VIII's doomed wives entered, brought down-river by barge.

The second of our two guides took over and recounted how Anne Bolyen, Catherine Howard and Elizabeth Tudor (the future Queen of England) came through this gate. He told us that Queen Mary I sent many clerics through this gate during her bloody reign. In an attempt to return the newly Protestant nation back to Catholicism she had condemned many high-ranking clerics to the Tower to recant or to be martyred, such as Archbishop Cramer. In the late seventies a businessman was passing on his way to work. He looked into Traitors Gate and saw many people dressed in Tudor clothes. The men were

dressed as Yeoman warders carrying spears, there were two women dressed in Tudor clothes, one of them in black and pearls, holding a small black book, and a man clad in leather carrying an axe. He watched for some time as they alighted at the gate and then he went on to the West Gate. There he asked if there was a film being made in the Tower. He was told that no film was being made in the Tower that day, he had witnessed a ghostly tableaux. Our guide went on to tell the tale of the photograph taken of Traitors' Gate by an American tourist that, once processed, showed a hand with a lace cuff resting on the metal railings leading down to the waters edge. At the time of taking it the gate had been empty of tourists as it had been near to closing time.

We were ushered from that spot to a staircase leading up to the battlements, to the right of the gate. Martin felt that there was a haunted spot by this staircase, with a man shouting an old dialect of French at him. Although the spectre was agitated, he could not climb the stairs. Unfortunately I was too far ahead to notice much, but when we returned by that spot at the end of the tour I stood there and opened up my inner sense and verified that there was a large male ghost in medieval garb, we both had the impression that he was French.

Once on the top of the stairs we were taken inside, through a room currently undergoing repairs, finally stopping in a room that had an impressive fireplace, a large table with candelabras and a chest. The chest was by a descending staircase which felt decidedly spooky. The guide went on to tell us we were in St Thomas' Tower. In 1240 this part of the Tower was being built, unfortunately it kept falling down. The builders were terrified that they were going to be killed for sloppy workmanship so they blamed the falling tower on the ghost of St Thomas à Becket. A chapel was built attached to this room and dedicated to the Saint. After that the new tower stayed standing. It may have been due to the sturdy new walls, but it could also have been through intercession with the murdered saint.

We were taken from there back out onto the battlements. We had a wonderful view to our right of Tower Bridge lit up in the night sky, and to our left the White Tower, home of the Crown Jewels. We were asked to gather into an arc towards the door at the end of the battlement walk, the gate to the Salt Tower. Here we heard the second part of the story of the Two Princes (the first half had been by traitors gate), and a wonderful story based on the White Tower, few of the ghosts stories relate to the original Norman Keep; however, a Yeoman Warder was walking through it closing the rooms, testing the doors. One night he tried to get into the Chapel of St John the Evangelist and he could not, although smelling a sweet smell of incense burning on the night air instead of the normal musty and unlived in smell of the present day. Later another warder and eased his shoes off for a rest in the chapel, massaging his feet. He heard a voice say "You know, there is only you and I in this Tower", as he was alone he said "and as soon as I get my shoes back on there will only be you here inside this tower". We laughed at this snippet of ghostly humour and went on into the Salt Tower.

We were asked to look closely at the words scratched into the hard stone walls by those poor souls who had been imprisoned within this place. We were where most of the clerics had been incarcerated for being Catholic within the newly Protestant State. Like most places within the Tower there is accommodation for Yeoman Warders in the upper floor; however, since the 1930's it has not been occupied due to an incident when one of the warders felt himself being suffocated after feeling pressure on his chest for some time. There is also another case where a Yeoman Warder on duty was reading a book and gradually felt pressure upon his chest, leading, again towards the feeling of suffocation. It has been documented that no dogs or other animals will go into the Salt Tower.

We were taken down another set of steps [definitely a really nasty feeling in this staircase,] after gazing at the carvings and optical effects on the walls, and out into the cold night air. From there we were ushered towards the Martin Tower where the Crown Jewels used to be housed. There we were told about the stealing of the Jewels in the time of Charles I by Colonel Blood for a bet, and of two ghost stories. Like most places within the precinct, Martin Tower has a flat for Yeoman Warders within it is also the home of Mary who climbs the stairs and opens the doors. This can be disturbing, however some of the warders' wives have found that if they greet her kindly she is an easy ghost to live with. The other ghost story is less charming, that of a giant bear, and it was responsible for killing a soldier through fear at the turn of this century. Another of the charming ghost stories refers to the Constable Tower. The ghost that haunts that one joins in celebrating all the happy events that take place with those who live there. Apparently this ghost smells of saddle soap and horse, and that part of the Tower had been associated with the Cavalry.

The stop at the Martin Tower came to an end and we were taken past the base of the White Tower and onto the Green. There we were told about Anne Boleyn losing her head to a swordsman brought over from France. She is reputed to haunt that spot as is Countess Pole, one of the last Plantagenets murdered by Henry VIII just in case her son Cardinal Pole decided to leave the Catholic Church and reclaim the Throne for the Plantagenents. Her murder had been a most gruesome affair with the axe man missing his mark, panicking and hacking her to death. Both ladies are supposed to lurk here on the anniversaries of their deaths, Countess Pole screaming on the night wind.

The guide went on to talk of the ghosts reported to haunt the various buildings surrounding Tower Green. Lady Arabella Lennox Stuart, one of the Royal Stuarts was held in the Tower and went mad. Her spirit terrorised a photographer from one of the glossy magazines during a photo-shot in recent times. Her room is so 'nasty' that women and children are not allowed to sleep in it. Like other places within the Tower the accommodation needs to be used but in this case care is taken as to who can live there.

As we were coming to the end of the tour, we were led back to the Bloody Tower overlooking Traitors' gate and told of Sir Walter Raleigh, who was held in this part of the Tower. His image is supposed to be seen in the carving of the sconce. I took a picture of it so that you can make up your own mind. This last spot saw the end of the Tour. From it we were allowed to slowly make our own way back to the West Gate and leave for home. This was the time when I checked out Martin's impression of his ghost.

It was an interesting tour, and one I would recommend to visitors as a way of bringing to life the long and gruesome history of the British monarchy, particularly during the Renaissance, during which (to use P J O'Rouke's words) England underwent a period of prolonged religious debate that killed anyone with an IQ over fifty. It is a cold tour so make certain that if you book to come on the 2001 season that you have thermal underwear, fleeces and gloves to keep you warm. I had dressed suitably for it but Martin had come straight from work and froze. Luckily Tamsin, our daughter had extra clothing on and handed some over to him. The cold had almost ruined his enjoyment of it. I took some photographs of which only half turned out. The outside shots suffered from the night and the inside ones had flash bleaching them. Did I get any spooks in them? No, but then I never do. I can hear and see spooks but never get them on film. Do I think the Tower is haunted, yes, it most decidedly it is. Will you see, hear or feel them? Possibly, but probably not. There are too many people around during daylight hours. Most of the stories seemed to indicate that the ghostly happenings occur when the Yeoman Warders do their duty watches in the quiet of the night.

But here's one last one to tantalise you with: just outside the West Gate, a little towards the river, is a very strong ghost of a young woman leaning on one of the lampposts. She's so full of energy that Martin found it difficult to get near her. What was she waiting for on that final night all those years ago, and what (or who) killed her ? We will probably never know, and it will stay as just another grisly story from the thousand years of bloodletting in Britain's oldest Royal Palace.

The psychically challenged's view of the Ghost Tour:

Hints from Tamsin Stanton (daughter of Judy) who claims that she is not psychic:

1. Stop in at the shop, they were giving out free testers of Bramble Brandy!
2. Stand around in the cold waiting while the more spooky of the group chatted to a ghost ho (or Lady of the Night for the older readers) standing out front, I don't think my phantom pregnancies joke was appreciated.
3. Take the tour with a warder that was hamming it up more than most pantomime characters. The tour was not much of a ghost hunt for me, being a PKD (psychic as a door knob) but I really enjoyed seeing beautiful architecture. The stories told by the warders were interesting as they were the more spooky goings on from the Tower. Unfortunately walking around with 40 others does make you feel like a sheep and there is not much time to look around.
4. Go for a nice dinner to warm up.

© 2000 psychic-tymes.com