A reader recently wrote in to share with me a strange experience she had at Hampton Court in 1987. I find this a fascinating occurrence as I’ve never heard of an experience quite like it. Here is her story in her own words:
“I will share with you a true experience that happened to me at Hampton Court in 1987. I came upon a portrait of Anne Boleyn (but instead of the traditional pose), she had a big grin on her face – I thought it was a caricature of the famous portrait we all know. I went close up to it and could not repress grinning myself. Then I went back for a minute or two to find my friend who was lagging behind – I told her she had to see this portrait of Anne Boleyn because it was so different. When we returned, the portrait had no grin – it was the traditional portrait! I read in a book later that one thing Anne enjoyed doing was hiding in the hallways of Hampton Court and jumping out at her friends with a big grin. If you think about it, that is what she did to me.”
Is it possible that Anne Boleyn attempted to communicate with Lynda through her portrait? Although it’s difficult to answer this in any definite terms, I do strongly believe that ancient buildings like Hampton Court house the imprints of events that transpired long ago and record the feelings and emotions of the people that played out their lives within its walls. And once in a while, I think they reveal their past to those of us sensitive enough to ‘see’ it. In this case, for Lynda, it was through the transformation of a well-known portrait but these revelations come in many guises.
I would love to hear from others that have had any ‘experiences’ with our Tudor friends from the past so please write in!
Hampton Court Palace
Loved this story! I have been to Hampton Court as well as the Tower and felt very different feelings from each. Hampton Court was not a scary place to me, more a “homey” and inviting place (besides the “Wolsey Closet” which was dark and a bit erie. The Tower, however, had a very sad feeling about it, especially the Beauchamp Tower (I believe it is called) with all of the prisoner graffiti. Thanks for this great story! Would you like to exchange links? I run EverythingTudor.com and the Tudor Book Blog! Thanks again!
this is a brilliant story, I love to read all things Anne Boleyn, I call her the Sixteenth Century Rocket Queen, as she had so much magnetism
happy New Year
Veronica
after reading your story, It reminded me, of myself and my husbands visit there about 10 years ago.
We had been doing the “tour”when we turned into the haunted gallery, and I was slightly infront of him, I was talking to him, when after about 5 mins he hadn’t replied, so I turned around to ask why he was being rude!
He wasnt there! so I went looking for him , and found him( in the great watching chamber which is just around the corner from the gallery).
He was shaking , and refused to carry on into the gallery, I asked him why? and he told me something had grabbed his neck just as he had turned into the gallery and he could hardly breathe.
He still refuses to go there to this day.
Thank you for sharing your experience! Your poor husband must have been very frightened. I hope you get to go back one day and have a less eventful journey…
Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you for your comment. I have to agree with you on the feelings you describe about Hampton Court, I was there last September and also felt incredibly at home and comfortable- it is undoubtedly one of my favourite places in the world!
I have to admit that I was hoping to feel something in the haunted gallery but experienced nothing out of the ordinary. I have had things happen to me in the past that I cannot explain and so was a little disappointed that my Tudor ‘friends’ did not add to those experiences. Oh well, there’s always next time!
I did though take some photos with a number of orbs present but there is so much debate on whether these are simply dust etc. and so one cannot really take this as any kind of conclusive evidence. I will post these photos soon.
I took another ‘interesting’ photo at Hever Castle. Stay tuned for that post soon!
Exchanging links sounds fabulous- the more the merrier!
When I was 6 we were visiting various places in London and I seem to remember a tour guide saying one of the paintings in the hall was haunted. And if you stood at a specific angle you could see the ghost in the painting. Does this sound familiar to anyone? If it does do you know where the painting is and Who it is of?
Hi John,
Was this at Hampton Court Palace? What a fascinating story!
Natalie
Hi Natalie,
To be honest, I can not actually remember exactly where it was or who the portrait was of. It was 34 years ago. We were touring these places because my older sister was obsesses with Anne Boleyn. I was there because I was six and that was what my family was doing that day. I do remember a large wooden staircase. I vaguely remember the portrait being on a stair case landing. Although it could have been in a room right before we were led down a staircase. I know this is all kinda Vague but it was a long time ago. There are a few things I remember about visiting England and that is one of them. That and that the cottage we rented was haunted.
Best,
John
I have a vague memory of seeing an episode of Most Haunted that featured a haunted portrait on a staircase or at the top of a staircase. I will see if I can find where that was.
Where was the haunted cottage?
I cannot remember where it was. All I remember about it was that it was about two doors down from a very old Church with a large grave yard. It was two stories. I remember one of the head stones was a child’s and it said that God had called the child home. That scared the bejeezus out of me and I remember it to this day. I think we took a train into London when we stayed there so it was somewhere outside the city. My guess is it wasn’t too far, as our whole reason for being there was to be able to take the tours of all the places Where Henry VIII and Anne were. Like I said my sister was a fanatical about it. I guess with google earth I could look for it. I think I’ll try that.
Best,
John
Hello,
I am just seeing this thread so I apologize for being late in posting. Nevertheless, I will share an experience I had at Hampton Court Palace. I visited in April 2009 and as I was waiting to see the “Henry’s Women” exhibit, something touched the back of my head. I assumed it was my husband so I turned to ask him what he was doing, but no one was there! Later I asked a guide to show me where the “Haunted Gallery” was, and to my surprise she led me to the same hallway I was standing in when something or someone touched my head! I honestly had no idea that is where I had been standing when the “head touching” incident had occured. Later that night when we were back at the hotel my husband went down to the hot tub and I was lounging in our room, flipping through my HCP guidebook and reflecting on my experience. Just then the television came on by itself! When it happened again I was so scared that I called the front desk and they sent a maintenance man to check the problem. He could find nothing wrong with the tv. This happened two more times that night! I wouldn’t chalk it up to a shoddy hotel room–we were staying at a 5-star hotel beside The Tower!
I grew up near Hatfield House in Hertfordshire which had a portrait on the Grand Staircase which from certain angles contained a ghostly image. I think this is the stately home you could be referring to.
That is an awesome experience! I was able to visit London back in Christmas of 2008 and the Tower was one of the places we went to. My experience was spooky but not terrifying. While in the church (s0rry I don’t remember exactly what it was called.) however I was at the altar area and said silently they should have not done that to you. I was speaking about Anne. When I turned a chill went through me and it felt like someone very gently caressed my face and pushed my hair back. It was a little rattling since I wasn’t expecting it but nonetheless I feel like it was Anne Boleyn. Looking up at the Queen’s quarters I felt like I was being watched but it wasn’t as if the feeling was creepy. The women’s bathroom, or one of them is right next to traitor’s gate and I can tell you that while in that bathroom I felt as if I wanted to die. It felt like there was such despair which would make sense. Those were my feelings at the Tower of London. Just thought I would share my experience with you all! Definitely if anyone ever has the chance to go London, go! I would love to go back!
Ann probably did grin lots of times, she had a wicked sense of humour, in fact she still has.
What do you mean by that?
At Hampton Court June 1985 long before digital cameras i was amazed to see in a lab produced photograph of Anne Boleyn’s gateway a white light which surrounded me. Some years later on May 19th visiting the tower one photograph appeared to be (as I can only describe) splashed by streaks of red. For years this perplexed me. Now I know the site of the photogrhaph was in the vicinity of the Waterloo Barracks!! There is however one problem – the changing date of the calander 1752 which means the anniversary of 19th May is not actually exact. Has anyone else ever considered this when making ‘pilgrimages’?
I am an undergrad history student who specialises in the Tudors and I’bve been fascinated by Anne Boleyn since I was five years old, I grew up in Surrey near Carew Manor & regularly go to Hampton Court.
After a long hiatus from visiting, me and my partner went as a goodbye trip just before I left to start at University. Nothing has ever happened on visits there before, but this one is particularly creepy!
We went in late September and so the Palace was particularly quiet. Our last visit was to the Young Henry exhibit in the area of the Palace in what was the great guest l0dgings during Wolsey’s ownership. We’d walked around the exhibit and were stood infront of the portraits of Henry, Catherine and Anne. My boyfriend, being a tall, athletic ginger guy was examining the portrait of Henry, doing mock Henry-esque poses (an American tourist even came up and complimented him on how much he looked like him, insult or compliment? Ha!) I was explaining about the divorce and complaining that the portraits always used of Catherine show her as frumpy in comparison to the sexy, glamorous Anne Boleyn. It is never the earlier portrait of herm as the pretty, young, Royal lady she had been when she first arrived in England. As such I was explaining how I have always felt sympathy for Catherine typecast as the ‘dowdy wife’ (maybe it because my mother is named after her.)
I absolutely jumped OUT OF MY SKIN when the portrait of Catherine began to violently shake and bang against the wall. The American tourist had left and it was just me and Henners part II (the bf) we left pretty sharpish, especially after I was sure something had blown in my ear. The exit whisper of ‘divorced, beheaded, died….’ didn’t help either!
I am actually going back to Hampton Court tomorrow morning for a tour with a former professor of mine who is the curator of the Palace, to explain the thought process behind the reimagining of the Palace after Henry’s 500th anniversary.
Heres hoping nothing happens without my big, tall ginge to protect me! Or to spook me too much, I’ve always hankered after a job at the palace!
What an experience! Be sure to let me know how your visit goes. Who is the Professor you are touring with? Natalie
What great stories of the unknown. I have seen a ghost of a lady in Edwardian dress in my bedroom at my last house, right next to my bed I could have touched her. I could tell you every detail of that dress, but she never materialized her head, can any of you out there explain why. Hear and felt spirits also, but never when I have been on my history tours, one day maybe… 🙂
Many years ago on my first visit to the Tower of London I was in the Chapel in the White Tower..Everyone else had moved on and I was there alone..I felt I was not alone..I didn`t see anything, just had a feeling of sadness.