• About
  • Travel Resources

One Day in a City

24 Hour Travel Itineraries to Make the Most of a Day in a Destination

  • United States
    • California
    • Pacific Northwest
    • New England
    • Midwest
    • South
    • West
    • New York
    • Hawaii
    • Florida
  • Europe
    • Austria
    • Croatia
    • Czechia
    • Finland
    • France
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Hungary
    • Iceland
    • Ireland
    • Italy
    • Netherlands
    • Poland
    • Portugal
    • Romania
    • Russia
    • Scandinavia
    • Slovenia
    • South Korea
    • Spain
    • Turkey
    • United Kingdom
  • More Destinations
    • Canada
      • Quebec
      • Vancouver Island
    • Caribbean
      • Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Rico
      • Jamaica
      • St. Maarten / St. Martin
      • St. Thomas
    • Central & South America
      • Argentina
      • Colombia
      • Mexico
    • Australia & New Zealand
      • Victoria AUS
      • Queensland AUS
      • North Island NZ
      • South Island NZ
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • India
      • Japan
      • Jordan
      • Nepal
      • Singapore
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • South Pacific
    • Africa
      • Kenya
  • Travel Tips
    • Travel with Babies & Toddlers
    • Couple Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Cruise
    • Packing Tips
    • Work and Travel Balance
  • Shop
    • Gift Guides
One Day in a City > Destinations > Europe > United Kingdom > The Deathly Legend of the Dirty Bottles in Alnwick, England

The Deathly Legend of the Dirty Bottles in Alnwick, England

November 2, 2020 By Gina
Posts on this site may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here.

Pin
Share21
Tweet
21 Shares

Happy Halloween! In honor of this spooky day, I am going to tell you about one of my favorite bars in all of the land. It’s a place of laughs, raucousness, great conversation, cheap drinks, and…an ancient mystery of death and destruction.

The bar is actually an English pub: Ye Olde Cross in Alnwick, England. Or, as it’s called by the locals – the Dirty Bottles.

Ye Olde Cross in Alnwick: It may look innocent, but look closer at the Dirty Bottles window...
It may look innocent, but look closer at the Dirty Bottles window...

Cue Scary Music…

Visit Dirty Bottles and before you step through the door into the jukebox-music front room where a small bar greets you (that extends through doors into the back room – you’ll only find locals there) you’ll see a large picture window next to the doors. Inside the window is a display of bottles…dirty bottles…bottles that are dusty and and dirty and haven’t been touched in over 150 years. According to local folklore, an old owner of the building tried to move them from the windows nearly two centuries ago and instantly dropped dead. No one has dared to touch them since.

Don't touch these dirty bottles...or else!
Don't touch these dirty bottles...or else!

What mystical, evil powers do the bottles hold? What menace could they cause if let loose on society? We may never know….

Cue Scary Music again…

The view of the top of the window from inside Dirty Bottles which tells the tale of the fallen man, complete with a cobweb. Wait...I don't remember any cobwebs. It must be a ghost cobweb!
The view of the top of the window from inside Dirty Bottles which tells the tale of the fallen man, complete with a cobweb. Wait...I don't remember any cobwebs in that window. It must be a ghost cobweb!

However, as long as you don’t get so drunk you fall through the window onto the bottles, hanging out at Dirty Bottles has always been a great time whenever I’ve visited Alnwick. Despite many other pubs lining the streets of the town, it was the hangout place for my friends and me when I studied abroad in Alnwick in college and one of the places I most looked forward going to each time I’ve been back in Alnwick since.

Post college, visiting my little sister. (Yes, she followed in my collegiate footsteps.) She and her friends also frequented the Dirty Bottles a lot.
Post college, visiting my little sister. (Yes, she followed in my collegiate footsteps.) She and her friends also frequented the Dirty Bottles a lot.

Before visiting Alnwick and Dirty Bottles, practice saying it in your best Geordie accent, which goes like this: Dir-ee Baw-oles. Or something like that. (Unlike Brad Pitt in Snatch, I never managed to figure out how to talk with a Geordie accent while living in Northern England – or, for that matter, how to understand it.)

The bar recently switched hands after nearly 30 years under the last owner, who always did a great job of making people feel welcome, whether you were a local or a visitor. I hope the new owners keep my favorite bar fun and friendly with good drinks and good music.

And – for their sake and those of us who remember the bottles fondly – hopefully they don’t mess with the dirty bottles. Or else maybe the Dirty Bottles will be getting yet another new owner…

Empty tables and chairs in Dirty Bottles...or are they? Cue ghost, cue scary music...
Empty tables and chairs in Dirty Bottles...or are they? Cue ghost, cue scary music...

 

 

About Gina

I'm a former travel agency marketing director turned freelance travel writer. My editorial and copywriting work has been published on and in USA TODAY, Travel + Leisure, the Travel Channel Cities app, TripSavvy, and many more online and print publications. I especially love sharing my knowledge of traveling with limited vacation time, making the most of cruise ports of call, and vacationing with kids. I also enjoy sharing my favorite travel gear and products to make traveling easier!

Comments

  1. Sue Kelly says

    April 12, 2016 at

    I remember the Dirty Bottles (and several other hostelries in Alnwick) from the 1960s when it was a favourite of many of us stationed at RAF Boulmer – we had some great times there and I do remember the legend of the “dirty bottles” and how dire the consequences if they were ever disturbed. It’s great to know that the pub is still there and I hope to visit one day soon

  2. Andy Baker says

    September 6, 2015 at

    I used to live in Christon Bank as a kid and always remember the Dirty Bottles from the outside (obviously too young to drink there!). Great to here you’ve bought it and intend to keep it alive. I’ll be sure and have a drink there next time I’m passing.

    Cheers.

  3. Mark Jones says

    February 24, 2015 at

    Great article on The Dirty Bottles, the pub had been closed for 2 years and was due to be turning into flats. I personally decided to buy the pub off the brewery and will be running it as a Freehouse after completing a sympathetic renovation. I remember meeting you in the Dirty Bottles many years ago Gina.

About One Day in a City

One Day in a City: Start Here
Hi! I'm Gina, a former cruise and tour marketing director turned independent travel writer who helps those short on time make the most of their travels, even if you just have 24 hours to spend somewhere. Read More...

Travel Writing

Gina Tarnacki Writing

Top Travel Tips

Travel Resources and Websites to Make Your Vacation Easier

Travel Inspiration

One Day in a City: Start Here
I have over a decade of experience working in the travel industry and use what I've learned to help you take control of your travels and design YOUR best trip with however much vacation time you have. Start Here...

Recent Posts

  • Should You Use a Travel Agent for Your Disney World Vacation? 
  • Ultimate List of the Best Cities to Visit in Europe
  • 20 Best Beaches in California to Add to Your Bucket List
  • Best Weekend Getaways in Michigan: A Local’s Ultimate Guide
  • The Best Winter Family Vacations for Fun and Snow

Search for a Destination…

Contact
Advertise
Content Writing Services
Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, and Disclosure

Copyright © 2023 · One Day in a City is a property of Ports and Pen Media LLC.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided 'as is' and is subject to change or removal at any time.