Krays In The Tower Of London

Picture this: London, 1965. The most feared gangsters in Britain are locked inside the most famous fortress on Earth. The Krays – Ronnie and Reggie – are in the Tower of London. Yes, that Tower. It sounds like a wild movie plot, but it’s 100% true.

The Gangsters Get Locked Up

Ronnie and Reggie Kray ran 1960s London’s underworld. They were suit-wearing, violence-loving celebrities. But in early 1965, they got arrested for a brawl in the East End. The police didn’t mess around. They sent the twins to the Tower of London’s military prison wing.

Why the Tower? Simple. It was a secure military prison at the time. The Krays were awaiting trial, and the authorities wanted maximum security. You don’t get more maximum than a castle with a moat and a history of chopping off heads.

Life Inside: More Tea, Less Torture

The twins didn’t sleep in a cold, damp dungeon. No, they enjoyed a surprisingly civilised stay. They had beds with sheets. They had a radio to listen to pop music. The guards even let them wear their own flashy suits during exercise.

Ronnie Kray, the paranoid one, was initially scared. He thought Beefeaters (yeomen warders) would poison his food. He refused to eat for a day. Reggie, ever the practical one, had to talk him down. “Just eat the bloody toast, Ron.” It worked.

They shared the wing with army deserters and rebellious soldiers. Imagine being a regular squaddie, locked up for being drunk. Then you look across the cell block, and Ronnie Kray is staring at you. That must have been a terrifying wake-up call.

The Funniest Bit: The Ghosts

Here’s the quirky fact you’ll love. Ronnie Kray was terrified of ghosts. The Tower is famously haunted – Anne Boleyn’s spirit is said to wander the grounds. Ronnie would not sleep in the dark. He demanded the cell light stay on all night.

He claimed he heard shuffling footsteps and chains rattling. He was convinced a headless Tudor queen was after him. The guards must have loved winding him up about it. “Did you hear that, Ronnie? That’s the ghost of Sir Walter Raleigh.” Poor Ronnie probably nearly fainted.

Famous Visitors and a Fancy Dinner

The Krays even had visitors while in the Tower. Their mother, Violet, came to see them. She brought homemade cakes. The guards searched them for files, but they let the cake pass. Priorities.

One night, the prison cook (an ex-army chef) decided to treat them. He served roast chicken, potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding. Ronnie called it “the best dinner I ever had inside.” He said it beat the grub at Brixton Prison by miles. The Tower had better catering than a modern jail. Go figure.

They were in the Tower for about two months. They exercised on the same green where prisoners once waited for execution. History literally under their feet. Did they feel it? Reggie later said he just felt bored. He wanted a cigarette and a bet on the horses.

Why This Story is Pure Fun

Think about the contrast. The Tower of London is a symbol of royal power and medieval horror. The Krays are a symbol of 1960s gangster sleaze. Putting them together is like mixing caviar with a sausage roll. It’s weird, it’s absurd, and it’s hilarious.

It also shows how different the world was. Today, a high-profile gangster goes to a supermax prison. Back then? You go to a castle, eat roast chicken, and get scared by a ghost story. It’s like a Very British Gangster Holiday. Except you can’t leave.

What Happened Next?

They left the Tower in March 1965 for their trial. They got bail, which shocked everyone. They partied at nightclubs again. The legend grew. But they were eventually jailed for murder in 1969.

Their time in the Tower remains a little-known footnote. Most people don’t know the Krays ever stayed there. That’s what makes it so fun to tell. It’s a secret history fact. You can now say, “Did you know the Krays bunked with the Beefeaters?” People will think you’re brilliant.

The Ultimate Twist

Ronnie Kray, the hard man who stabbed people, was scared of a ghost. Reggie, the calm one, just wanted a proper cup of tea. And the Tower of London, a place of beheadings and royal drama, played host to two cockney gangsters who complained about the bed pillows.

That’s the power of history. It doesn’t have to be dusty and serious. It can be silly. It can be fun. It can be two terrifying twins, locked in a haunted castle, asking for more gravy on their roast potatoes.

So next time you see a picture of the Tower of London, smile. Remember the Krays were in there. They heard ghosts. They ate roast chicken. And they absolutely hated the dark. Now that’s a story worth telling.