'I live in the Tower of London - I've seen ghosts and need permission to leave'
Megan Clawson ( @meganambxr ) has shared the unusual life of living in the Tower of London - from witnessing paranormal activity to not being able to order a takeaway.
A university student has opened up about her rather unusual living situation, after she moved into the Tower of London. Yep, you read that right, the Tower of London.
While most people know the 13th Century building as a tourist attraction, the Tower is actually home to many staff who work at the venue, and their families, including Megan Clawson and her dad Chris.
Chris has worked as a Beefeater at the attraction for several years, and last year, Megan decided to move in with him, instead of forking out thousands for student accommodation when she started university in the castle.
More than a year later, the 21-year-old has experienced her fair share of bizarre goings on in the Tower, from spotting ghosts and other paranormal activities, to not being able to order takeaways.
And, it turns out there’s a lot of rules when it comes to living in such an iconic landmark, as Megan even has to ask for permission from security to be able to leave the fortress.
"My dad has been working in the tower for quite a few years and when I moved to London for uni, I realized it was pointless me paying London rent when I could just move in with him so that's what I did in 2020," she explained.
"There isn't a lot of freedom living here because people can see you coming and going and you have to sign out and get permission if you want to leave after the tower closes at night as it's constantly guarded."
In fact, if Megan ever wants to have friends or family come and visit, she even has to sign them in or have them escorted around the building due to security precautions.
Fortunately, though, the student is still able to have her own space, as she has the entire top floor of her four-story home, which used to be a medical centre in the 13th century. The unique living quarter is complete with arrow slits in the windows, four-flights of stairs and a whole wall filled with memorabilia.
Megan, who works as a TV and film extra, added: "The only people that can live in the tower are the people who work here and their families.
"There's around 40 families that live here now - the whole outer wall of the tower is housing for the workers and because the house is so tall, it almost feels like I have my own apartment because I have the entire top floor.
"A lot of the time I can't believe I actually live here - if I sit on my balcony people will take pictures of me thinking I'm part of the attraction. It's such a privilege living here but I can't wrap my head around it."
But, while there’s definite perks to living in the unusual setting, Megan has experienced a few spooky incidents, from spotting a ghost to hearing people walking around her home while no one else is in.
"I've had a few paranormal experiences. When my dad's not here and I'm on my own, I'll hear walking up and down the stairs and doors closing," she explained.
"My house is split in half so the other half is someone else's and my next door neighbour has said she gets knocking and banging when her husband isn't home as well."
She added: "On New Year's Eve, I was on the sofa and the telly flashed on static at 3am and I saw a silhouette standing in front of it.
"The paranormal used to frighten me a lot but living here you just expect it. I think most people living here have accepted that creepy things happen here."
That is serious creepy, but hey, not many people can say they've ever lived in a fortress!
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