The Tower of London remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in London, with thousands of visitors arriving daily at the royal fortress in the heart of London. However, the Tower is also home to several ghosts. 

While many thousands of people have lived and died at the Tower of London, there are only a select few who have said to remain there after death. Several notable Tower ghosts lived through the turbulent Tudor and Stuart periods. 

An early Tower of London ghost, King Henry VI is said to haunt the Wakefield Tower. Imprisoned by King Edward IV, Henry was held at the tower until his reported death in May 1471 in the King’s Private Chapel. Historians still debate whether or not he died on 21 or 23 May, and whether or not he would have actually been held in the Wakefield Tower. His ghost is said to appear in the Wakefield Tower at midnight. 

Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, was convicted of treason during King Henry VIII’s reign for her Catholic faith. She was not given a trial and was executed in 1541 by an inexperienced executioner who took eleven blows of the axe to sever her head. Margaret’s screams during her botched execution can reportedly be heard on Tower grounds. 

Lady Jane Grey, queen for only nine days, was executed in 1554 after she quickly lost support to the new Queen Mary. Her ghost is said to be seen walking along the Tower battlements. 

Lady Arbella Stuart was King James I’s first cousin and arrived at court in 1603 to serve Queen Anne of Denmark. In 1610, she secretly married the future 2nd Duke of Somerset. Arbella was originally imprisoned at a house in Lambeth but after attempting to escape, she was imprisoned in the Tower of London. She died in September 1615 and her ghost is now said to appear at the Queen’s House.