29/05/2026
A riot, Sunday lunch, an inquest and Charles Dickens
The Blink Bonny had only recently been built in 1860 when it was sold at auction. The sale catalogue (see images) points out that the inn was near to both the railway station and road (see map). The passing trade must have made it an attractive proposition for its new owners!
🤢However, when Alnwick Rural Sanitary Authority made its inspection in 1873, the pub doesn’t sound that inviting:
“The condition of the rear premises show that the landlord of the inn must be a small farmer also. The road and footway in front are very badly kept, and with rain lying in pools of water close to the door. The yard, offices, and sinks in the rear all require to be cleansed and sanitary attention paid to them.”
🚂The proximity to the railway could also be dangerous. On 6th June 1873, Thomas D Smith, the county coroner, used the pub to hold the inquest of George Taylor who had died the day before. The coroner found that George, who worked for the North-Eastern Railway, had been uncoupling carriages at about 10:40am when he was hit by a train on the other line. The coroner ruled that Taylor had been accidentally killed.
🦊Throughout its history, the pub has changed hands many times. In 1909, J G Boon retired as a publican and sold up the contents of the Blink Bonny. An advert in the Alnwick Mercury listed the items for sale, including a hydrometer, fox and cubs in a case (presumably stuffed), spittoons, taproom tables, a blacksmith’s anvil and a piano in a walnut case.
🍽️In 1986 Dana and Michael Tench took over the Blink Bonny. Another article from the Mercury describes the renovations which the couple undertook, including a “…newly decorated impressively furnished restaurant…” where you could have a 3-course Sunday lunch with coffee for £4.75!
🐴The pub gets its name from a racehorse. The Blink Bonny was the most famous racehorse of its day and probably the most successful mare ever to have raced. She even caused a riot witnessed by Charles Dickens! In 1857 she lost the St Ledger, despite being the favourite to win. On the next day, on the same course, she ran a faster time than the winner had the previous day, leading to accusations of race fixing and a rush from the stands to the enclosure. Dickens was in Doncaster at the time and his book “The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices”, a comic sketch of his travels with his friend, Wilkie Collins, mentioned “Blink-Bonny jibbing at the post…”
She was so famous that her body was given to York Museum after her death.
I’ve not been able to track down a link between the horse and the pub other than that two of her hooves were kept on display on the premises. Do you know if they are still there? Do you have any other stories about the pub? Do let us know in the comments!
