It's that time of year again.

Sure, it's haunted. You can't lock up that many A-listers in one place and not get a ghost or two. See what you know about this spooky historic site.

Multiple choice.

1. Ghost sightings in the Tower go way back. In the late 15th Century, guards saw the apparition of…
   
   • William the Conqueror.
   • Julius Caesar.
   • the two murdered princes.
   • Richard III.
2. Even earlier, during the reign of Edward I, a ghost interfered with construction. Workmen complained that as they built Traitor's Gate, the arch was being dismantled at night by an angry…
   
   • witch.
   • druid.
   • Thomas a Becket.
   • Venerable Bede.
3. One of the most famous ghost sightings in the Tower occurred around 1815, when a sentry died of fright after being attacked by…
   
   • a spectral bear.
   • William the Conqueror's ghost in armour.
   • an army of skeletons.
   • Anne Boleyn.
4. In 1817, a keeper of the Crown Jewels lived in the Tower with his family. At dinner one night, his wife was menaced by the apparition of…
   
   • King Henry VIII.
   • a jester.
   • a floating tube of bubbling blue liquid.
   • a bloody halberd.
5. In 1864, a sentry passed out from shock after seeing a ghost. He was acquitted at court martial (for sleeping on duty) when other sentries testified that they, too, had frequently seen the ghost of…
   
   • Anne Boleyn.
   • Shakespeare's head.
   • Henry VIII.
   • Elizabeth I.
6. Observers claim that the reenactment of the botched 1541 execution of Lady Salisbury can be seen on the anniversary of the grisly act. They claim the whole execution is played out, including…
   
   • the executioner falling down drunk.
   • the priest forgetting the words to the Last Rites.
   • Lady Salisbury laughing hysterically.
   • the executioner chasing Lady Salisbury around with an axe.
7. The ghosts keep coming. In 1983, a Yeoman at the Byward Tower looked up and spotted a stray prisoner wandering around, namely…
   
   • Sir Walter Raleigh.
   • the Earl of Oxford.
   • the bear again.
   • Lady Jane Grey.
8. Another warder in the Byward Tower in the 1980s saw two skinny, medievally dressed men who were…
   
   • smoking pipes by the fireplace.
   • fighting a duel.
   • arguing about theology.
   • practicing black magic.
9. Sound effects have on occasion been provided for the Tower by…
   
   • the ghost of Handel playing the organ.
   • the ghost of Anne Boleyn singing (out of tune).
   • the ghost of Guy Fawkes, screaming.
   • the ghosts of Walter Raleigh and James I, arguing about tobacco.
10. Nowadays, the Tower ghosts are more popular than ever because…
    
    • they've been put under protection by the National Trust.
    • the apparitions have been authenticated by a Nobel Prize winner.
    • the sightings have convinced Richard Dawkins.
    • the tours are broadcast on social media.

Not sure which ghost is which? Click the picture for the answers.

Dmitri Gheorgheni

03.10.16 Front Page

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