The 10 Most Haunted Castles in Europe

8. The Tower of London

The Tower of London
The Tower of London

If you were to measure paranormal activity with a magnetometer, the pointer would probably deflect the most in the Tower of London.

The first ghost is said to have appeared in the 12th Century as soon as the tower was built. Even before the fort was completed, Saint Thomas of Canterbury terrified the workers.

Executions were usually carried out outside the tower. But some prominent condemned were cut a head shorter within the walls. Some of the victims have since appeared as ghosts.

The restless spirit of Queen Anne Boelyn captures the imagination of history enthusiasts all around the world. A woman of noble lineage herself, she became the second wife of Henry VIII.. After she could not produce a male heir to the throne, Henry VIII lost interest and divorced her.

To get rid of her, she was charged with multiple adultery, incestuous relationships with her brother and plotting to kill the king. After sentenced to death for high treason she and her five convicted lovers were executed. Her headless spirit is said to still roam the corridors to this day.

The Tower of London
The Tower of London

Another spectacular executions was that of Catherine Howard. The hot-blooded Catherine was said to have had several affairs. When the suspicion hardened during the marriage with Henry VIII, the love affairs were exposed and the suitors were hanged, quartered and beheaded.

Catherine was also sentenced to death. The night before her execution, the execution block was brought to her cell at her request. She practiced her execution by resting her head on the block over and over again. The next morning she was beheaded in the Tower. Sightings of Catherine Howard are also very common.