Drinkers at a pub in Darlington, County Durham, were amazed when the face of Jesus appeared on a bottle of Bulmers cider...
Face of Jesus appears on cider bottle to amazement of pub drinkers
By PAUL SIMS
1st May 2008
Daily Mail
It may have been made from the Forbidden Fruit but for those with a religious devotion to cider, there now appears to be an Almighty reason to worship the drink.
For when Michael Cartwright, 35, studied his bottle, he noticed that in its foil wrapping was an uncanny image of Jesus Christ – even down to the crown of thorns.
"When I saw the face I got goose pimples," Mr Cartwright said yesterday.
Michael Cartwright discovered the face of Jesus on his bottle of Bulmers cider
"I have no doubt it is the face of Jesus. You can even see his beard and hair.
"There's no mistaking it. Everyone in the pub crowded round to have a look and there was an eerie silence.
"I've heard of the face of Christ appearing on all sorts of things before but never on a cider bottle.
"I suppose it's fitting because most punters worship alcohol anyway, so now they can do it for real."
Mr Cartwright, a taxi driver from Darlington, noticed the extraordinary image while drinking with a group of five friends at his local pub on Monday.
"The bottles arrived on the table and as the barmaid removed the cap to the cider I suddenly realised what was staring back at me," he added.
"We all just laughed. You read about this sort of stuff in the papers and take it with a pinch of salt but there before us was the Messiah."
In stunned silence, they each took turns to study the bottle before one of Mr Cartwright's friends decided to take a photograph.
Drinkers at the Darlington pub were amazed to see the face at the top of the cider bottle
It was only the following morning that he realised how clear the image was. But by then it was too late to retrieve the bottle.
"It ended up getting collected by a barmaid when no one was paying attention and was thrown away," said Mr Cartwright.
"I'm not sure what message Jesus was sending but maybe now we'll never know."
Had they held on to the bottle, it could have been worth considerably more than the £2.49 it cost at the Tanners Hall pub in Darlington.
American Diana Duyser sold a piece of 10-year-old toasted cheese sandwich – which appeared to feature the face of the Virgin Mary – for £15,000 on eBay.
In November 2004, Canadian Fred Whan from Ontario told how Jesus's face appeared on a fish finger, which he burned by accident while cooking his children's supper.
Other claimed apparitions include those of Mother Teresa in a cinnamon bun in Nashville, Tennessee, Christ in a baby scan and the face of Jesus in a frying pan – not to mention the Virgin Mary apparently popping up in an Australian bed sheet.
Last night, a spokesman for the makers of the Bulmers Original cider bottle, Scottish and Newcastle, said: "We know Bulmers Original has a heavenly taste – but this is amazing."
dailymail.co.uk
Face of Jesus appears on cider bottle to amazement of pub drinkers
By PAUL SIMS
1st May 2008
Daily Mail
It may have been made from the Forbidden Fruit but for those with a religious devotion to cider, there now appears to be an Almighty reason to worship the drink.
For when Michael Cartwright, 35, studied his bottle, he noticed that in its foil wrapping was an uncanny image of Jesus Christ – even down to the crown of thorns.
"When I saw the face I got goose pimples," Mr Cartwright said yesterday.
Michael Cartwright discovered the face of Jesus on his bottle of Bulmers cider
"I have no doubt it is the face of Jesus. You can even see his beard and hair.
"There's no mistaking it. Everyone in the pub crowded round to have a look and there was an eerie silence.
"I've heard of the face of Christ appearing on all sorts of things before but never on a cider bottle.
"I suppose it's fitting because most punters worship alcohol anyway, so now they can do it for real."
Mr Cartwright, a taxi driver from Darlington, noticed the extraordinary image while drinking with a group of five friends at his local pub on Monday.
"The bottles arrived on the table and as the barmaid removed the cap to the cider I suddenly realised what was staring back at me," he added.
"We all just laughed. You read about this sort of stuff in the papers and take it with a pinch of salt but there before us was the Messiah."
In stunned silence, they each took turns to study the bottle before one of Mr Cartwright's friends decided to take a photograph.
Drinkers at the Darlington pub were amazed to see the face at the top of the cider bottle
It was only the following morning that he realised how clear the image was. But by then it was too late to retrieve the bottle.
"It ended up getting collected by a barmaid when no one was paying attention and was thrown away," said Mr Cartwright.
"I'm not sure what message Jesus was sending but maybe now we'll never know."
Had they held on to the bottle, it could have been worth considerably more than the £2.49 it cost at the Tanners Hall pub in Darlington.
American Diana Duyser sold a piece of 10-year-old toasted cheese sandwich – which appeared to feature the face of the Virgin Mary – for £15,000 on eBay.
In November 2004, Canadian Fred Whan from Ontario told how Jesus's face appeared on a fish finger, which he burned by accident while cooking his children's supper.
Other claimed apparitions include those of Mother Teresa in a cinnamon bun in Nashville, Tennessee, Christ in a baby scan and the face of Jesus in a frying pan – not to mention the Virgin Mary apparently popping up in an Australian bed sheet.
Last night, a spokesman for the makers of the Bulmers Original cider bottle, Scottish and Newcastle, said: "We know Bulmers Original has a heavenly taste – but this is amazing."
dailymail.co.uk
