Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
Famous ghost stories of the Tower of London
24 November 2025
Take a walk through the Tower of London’s shadowy corridors, to uncover the chilling tales of its most famous ghosts and paranormal activity.
'Castles of the air': Defending the Tower of London during the Second World War
10 November 2025
When London faced the fury of the Blitz during the Second World War, the Tower of London found a new way to protect the city from the sky – a huge hydrogen-filled 'barrage balloon'.
How was the Tower saved from the Great Fire of London?
02 September 2025
The Great Fire of London is the most famous blaze in London's history. Here, Curator Charles Farris explores the Tower of London’s role in this terrible and famous event.
Life, death and worship in the Tower of London, Part II
21 July 2025
In the second post of a two-part series, Curator of Historic Buildings Alfred Hawkins explores what the major excavation at the Tower of London in 2025 might tell us about the chapel's history.
Life, death and worship in the Tower of London, Part I
21 July 2025
Curator of Historic Buildings Alfred Hawkins explains the results of continued analysis of a 2019 excavation at the Tower of London, and what they can tell us about the Tower community.
Triumph and tragedy: Thomas Cromwell's legacy at the Tower of London
06 December 2024
For Thomas Cromwell, hero of Wolf Hall, the Tower of London would be the scene of the start of his career and the end of his life.
Thomas Cromwell's fateful match-making
29 November 2024
Tracy Borman explores the real history behind Thomas Cromwell's downfall, which forms the dramatic conclusion to Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.
Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford: The Most Hated Woman in Tudor England?
01 November 2024
Tracy Borman investigates whether Jane Boleyn, widow of George Boleyn, deserves her notorious reputation, or whether the hostile accounts of her a product of Elizabeth I's later attempts to rehabilitate her mother.
The Jewel House Keeper's Ghost
31 October 2024
Curator Alden Gregory explores one of the many ghost stories associated with the palaces in our care: the Tower of London's Phantom Bear.