Historic Northumberland pub sold to pub giant Greene King in multimillion-pound deal

A 200-year-old Northumberland pub famed for its ‘cursed’ window collection has been acquired by a pub giant in a seven-figure deal.

The Dirty Bottles in Alnwick has been operating as a pub for more than 200 years, but just over 10 years ago it faced closure when developers had earmarked it to be turned into flats.

Local entrepreneur Mark Jones stepped in to save the building, believed to have been built in the 1600s, and transformed the pub with a number additions, including the acquisition and incorporation of the former Oscars bar at 34 Narrowgate, and the development of adjoining properties 28 and 30 Narrowgate.

Now property agents at Christie & Co have overseen a deal to sell the pub in the £1m-plus investment deal to Greene King, one of the UK’s leading pub companies and brewers.

The pub used to be called Ye Old Cross Inn but took on its current name in honour of the “curse of the dirty bottles”, a 200-year-old legend which holds that the innkeeper dropped dead while interfering with the bottles in the window. His widow said that anyone who did the same would meet a similar end, so the “dirty bottles” were sealed between two windows and have remained untouched ever since.

Former owner Mark Jones said: “As an Alnwick lad, I am really proud to have transformed what was a derelict, unloved row of buildings into a sympathetically restored and bustling hospitality venue, taking turnover from zero to circa £3,000,000. As well as giving locals and tourists somewhere of real quality to drink, eat and stay, we have also created and sustained around 40 jobs for local people.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed owning and operating The Dirty Bottles, but my real passion is redeveloping and refurbishing buildings. I have a number of other projects in the pipeline across the county, as well as my co-owned camping and glamping business.”

Richard Smith, estates director at Greene King said: “The Dirty Bottles has a rich and fascinating history in Alnwick and under Mark’s ownership has significantly evolved over the past decade to combine history and heritage with a modern contemporary feel.

“We want to retain and build on everything about the pub that makes it such a success, while also helping to invest in its future.”

David Cash, regional director at Christie & Co who brokered the deal, said: “The Dirty Bottles is a superb example of a pub/restaurant with rooms which has benefitted from security via multiple income streams, providing some protection from the challenges that the wider industry has faced over recent years. Huge credit to Mark and his team for remaining innovative and tenacious in their approach to operating a hospitality business in the current climate.

“The sale is one of 220 pub and restaurant sales we brokered in 2024 and highlights the demand for quality assets in what is perceived by many to be a non-existent market. There is absolutely demand for hospitality businesses, despite the economic and political landscape we are in.”