Every year, on the night of May 19, a terrifying procession is said to return to Blickling Hall in Norfolk, the ancestral home of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s ill-fated second wife.
Anne was executed at the Tower of London on May 19, 1536, after being accused of adultery and treason. According to local legend, her restless spirit returns to Blickling on the anniversary of her death.
As midnight approaches, a ghostly carriage supposedly races along the estate’s darkened avenue, drawn by four headless black horses and driven by a headless coachman.
Inside sits Anne herself, dressed in white, her severed head resting upon her lap. Some versions describe blood dripping onto her gown as the carriage approaches the house.
When it reaches the entrance, the carriage mysteriously vanishes. Other versions claim Anne steps down and wanders through the rooms until sunrise, searching for the peace denied to her in life.
An even darker legend concerns her father, Thomas Boleyn, who is supposedly condemned to travel across Norfolk’s bridges in a phantom carriage as punishment for failing to save his children.
The story has circulated for generations, making Blickling one of England’s most famous royal hauntings.
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