The bear's old haunts

Martin Tower, Tower of London

Other than the original incident reported near the Martin Tower, no further sightings - or fatalities - have been reported…

Strange ... but true?

Is there any evidence to support the story of a grizzly ghost?

Bears at the Tower

At least two bears have lived at the Tower, and both were the first of their kind to be seen in England. 

Henry III was given a polar bear in 1251 as a gift from the king of Norway. The bear was given a long chain so that it could fish in the Thames. 

In 1811, the Hudson Bay Company gave a grizzly bear to George III. The bear was called ‘Old Martin’ and after many years at the Tower he moved to the new London Zoo in Regent’s Park, where he eventually died in 1838.