The Tower has dominated the London landscape and the pages of history since its construction by William the Conqueror in 1078. Over the next 500 years it evolved into a magnificent Royal Palace, home to successive monarchs. But it is its sinister reputation that brings the visitors flocking in their millions to hear tales of imprisonment, torture and execution. Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Guy Fawkes, Sir Walter Raleigh and many others were incarcerated here. Tales of the paranormal have haunted the tower for centuries. In 1816, a guard is said to have seen what he described as "a shadowy bear walking up the stairs in the twilight, and it is said that he died of shock a few days later. A ghostly monk has also appeared on many occasions, whose sandals would be heard slapping on the stone floors. He occasionally shared his lonely vigil with the ghost of an unseen child whose heart-rending sobs were distressing for those who lived here. In the Byward Tower the ghosts of two Beefeaters have been seen standing on either side of the fireplace, smoking pipes and deep in conversation before vanishing. The Wakefield Tower is believed to be haunted by the spirit of Henry VI, who would appear on the anniversary of death. A mysterious yellow glow has been witnessed in the Salt Tower together with low whispered murmuring and the touch of ice-cold fingers on the back of the neck. In the Middle Tower ghostly footsteps have been heard pacing backwards and forwards across the battlements.