U.K. Castle Cameras Catch Ghostly Visitor

NY Post ^ | 12-19-03 | By JACK GARLAND

[mgist]

LONDON (AP) -- Are there ghostly goings-on at Henry VIII's palace, or is that hazy image of a fellow in fancy robes just a bit of Christmas cheer?

Closed-circuit security cameras at Hampton Court Palace, the huge Tudor castle outside London, seem to have snagged an ethereal visitor. Could it be a ghost?

[WinOne4TheGipper]

I screwed up. I meant Henry the Eighth. One missed "I" makes a difference.

[AnAmericanMother]

LOL!

WITH HER HEAD TUCKED UNDERNEATH HER ARM

In the Tower of London large as life,
The ghost of Anne Boleyn walks, they declare.
Poor Anne Boleyn was once King Henry's wife
Until he made the headsman bob her hair!
Ah, yes he did her wrong long years ago
And she comes up at night to tell him so

With her head tucked underneath her arm
She walks the Bloody Tower!
With her head tucked underneath her arm
At the midnight hour.

She comes to haunt King Henry
She means giving him "what for."
Gad Zooks, she's going to tell him off
For having spilt her gore,
And just in case the Headsman
Wants to give her an encore
She has her head tucked underneath her arm!

With her head tucked underneath her arm
She walks the Bloody Tower!
With her head tucked underneath her arm
At the midnight hour.

Along the draughty coridors
For miles and miles she goes,
She often catches cold, poor thing,
It's cold there when it blows,
And it's awf'lly awkward for the Queen
To have to blow her nose
With her head tucked underneath her arm!

Sometimes gay King Henry gives a spread
For all his pals and gals, a ghostly crew.
The headsman carves the joint and cuts the bread.
Then in comes Anne Boleyn to "queer" the "do";
She holds her head up with a wild war whoop
And Henry cries, "Don't drop it in the soup!"

With her head tucked underneath her arm
She walks the Bloody Tower!
With her head tucked underneath her arm
At the midnight hour.

The sentries think that it's a football
That she carries in
And when they've had a few they shout,
"Is Ars'nal going to win?"
They think it's Alec James
Instead of poor old Anne Boleyn,
With her head tucked underneath her arm.

With her head tucked underneath her arm
She walks the Bloody Tower!
With her head tucked underneath her arm
At the midnight hour.

One night she caught King Henry,
He was in the Canteen Bar.
Said he, "Are you Jane Seymour, Anne Boleyn, or Catherine Parr?
For how the sweet san fairy ann do I know who you are
With your head tucked underneath your arm!"

[AnAmericanMother]

I was just kiddin'

Frankly, the old dad looks a lot meaner than Harry 8.

Have you read this story by Kipling re Henry VII? The Wrong Thing. Excellent portrait of Henry VII from life. " . . . the badger-eyed figures of Glory and Victory leered at me from the Flemish hangings . . . "

[AnAmericanMother]

Oh, yeah. I got caught by that one a year ago. Fool me once, shame on you . . . . :-D

[AnAmericanMother]

And then of course, just to remove any confusion, there's good old Harry Champion . . .

I'm Henery the Eighth I Am

I have a copy of an old 78 with Champion singing this song, "Any Old Iron", "Cover It Over Quick Jemima", and "Boiled Beef and Carrots". He must have been an acquired taste.

[mikrofon]

Spectre: "{Oy wish these bloody tourists would learn to close the bloody door -- a man could catch his death of cold, 'e could..."

[DanielLongo]

That is a woman's dress, not a man's mantle. Perhaps this is the famed ghost of Catherine Howard who was held there before her execution. Picture with similar dress at this link: Click Here

[Quix]

Not really.

Ghosts are either nothing or demonic, IMHO. Nothing I care to bother with except when I have to by orders from THE BOSS.

Thanks, anyway.

[Leroy S. Mort]

Ahhh..I love the British music hall stuff. I've got a few Harry Champion MP3's (including "Boiled Beef") plus some great Harry Lauder, Stanley Holloway doing "Sam, Pick oop tha musket" and "Head Tucked Underneath her arm" and tons of other stuff.

[PistolPaknMama]

You're MEAN and you're not my best friend anymore! :-)

[exit82]

I don't see a damn thing in this picture. Is there a clearer one available?

[Defiant]

Sorry. Really, I am........................BOOOOOO!

[AnAmericanMother]

Don't think so. Set of the sleeves looks like the long mantle, and there is no bodice tucking. (I used to work in theatrical costuming).

My bet's on a prankster in a Father Christmas robe from Acme Costume Rentals.

[AnAmericanMother]

I have a copy of a 33 1/3 album called "Play Another Before You Go" - has a good selection of the well known artistes on it, Marie Lloyd, Vesta Tilley, Champion of course, Gus Elen, George Formby the elder, Little Tich, etc. etc. Champion always sounds to me like he's in a race to the finish line . . .

[ReagansShinyHair]

I found video of this, and it's not very convincing. I guess that's why they only showed a still photo. It's here:
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/gen/page330.html

[jellybean]

If you view the enhanced version, in one frame there appears to be a light coming from the right side of the screen. This just happens to coincide with the point at which this picture was taken.

[SunkenCiv]

from 2003.