|
GUINNESS® HISTORY
With a company history spanning from 1759 – where else would you come to learn about the history of GUINNESS® - other than the home of the black stuff.
History of GUINNESS®
Arthur Guinness was born in Celbridge, County Kildare in 1725. It seems that Arthur first learnt the art of brewing from his father Richard, whose job as a land steward included brewing beer for workers on the estate of Dr. Arthur Price, later Archbishop of Cashel. In 1759, at the age of 34, Arthur Guinness signed a 9000-year lease for the St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin, at an annual rent of £45. The brewery was only 4 acres in size, disused, and had little brewing equipment. But in only 10 years, despite competition from imported English beers, Arthur began to export his beer to England.
Arthur began by brewing ale, and in the 1770s started brewing 'porter', a new type of dark English beer. Arthur's porter was so successful that in 1799 he stopped brewing ale. By the time Arthur died in 1803, he had built a successful brewing business, with a promising export trade. Arthur married Olivia Whitmore, and had 21 children, 10 of whom survived into adulthood. When he died, his son Arthur Guinness II took over the brewery. In all, 6 generations of the Guinness family were directly involved in the brewery management.
Arthur Guinness II developed the business, expanding the export trade, and brewing a new beer 'Extra Superior Porter'. By the 1830s, St. James's Gate Brewery was the largest brewery in Ireland. In 1855 Arthur II's son, Benjamin Lee Guinness, took over. Under Benjamin, the first trade mark label for GUINNESS® stout was introduced in 1862. When Benjamin died in 1868, his son Edward Cecil took over. Under Edward's leadership the brewery became the largest in the world. In 1886 the business was floated on the London Stock Exchange and Edward became Chairman. By the end of the 19th century the brewery had grown to 60 acres, sales of GUINNESS® Stout were over 1.2 million barrels a year, and GUINNESS® Stout was available across the world.
In the 20th century the Guinness family continued to lead the business. Edward Guinness died in 1927, and his son Rupert became Chairman. Rupert's grandson Benjamin became Chairman in 1962, and was the last member of the Guinness family to hold this position, which he resigned in 1986. In 1929, the first advertising campaign for GUINNESS® was launched. More product innovations took place including the launch of GUINNESS® Draught in 1959. GUINNESS® Draught in Can was launched in 1988 thanks to the 'widget' – a groundbreaking invention in beer packaging technology. From the 1940s to 1980s a major overhaul of brewing machinery took place, making the brewery one of the most technologically advanced in the world. In 1936 the first overseas GUINNESS® Brewery was opened. It proved successful and was followed by four more in Nigeria (1962), Malaysia (1965), Cameroon (1970), and Ghana (1971). Licences were also issued to brewers in other countries so that GUINNESS® could be brewed locally.
By the end of the 20th century, GUINNESS® was brewed in over 40 countries, and sold in over 150. In 1997 Guinness Plc merged with Grand Metropolitan Plc in a £24 billion merger. A new company was formed called 'Diageo' Plc. Today, 10 million glasses of GUINNESS® are enjoyed daily around the world.
|
|
Simply click on any of the images listed below to explore the history of the Guinness tradition
|
The Guinness Archive, located on the Ground Mezzanine floor, collects, preserves and makes accessible records and artefacts from the formation of GUINNESS® to the present day.
The holdings contain records dating from the 1759 lease, photographs, film, video, memorabilia, posters, maps, bottles and artefacts documenting the history of the GUINNESS® company, brand and products in Ireland. |
 |
 |
Over 7,500 linear metres of records |
|
Copies of GUINNESS® advertising from 1929 to the present day |
|
The original 9000 year lease signed by Arthur Guinness on the St. James's Gate Brewery |
|
The oldest artefacts in the collection are barley grains from Tutankhamun's Tomb - nearly 3,500 old |
|
Genealogy
 |
Thousands of people have worked for Guinness since 1759, playing their own part in the company's history. The Guinness Archive holds a large collection of employment records, dating between 1880 and 1960. Although incomplete, these records provide an insight into employment conditions; Guinness was renowned for the benevolent treatment of its workforce, which numbered 5000 at its peak.
|
|
Access to personnel files of past employees is available to direct family members only. This is due
to the personal nature of information often held in the files such as medical and financial information.
If you are the direct descendent of a past Guinness employee, the Archive staff will be happy to search the Archive for the personnel file of your relative. Please provide as much information as you can, in order to help us to find the correct file. Details such as first names and surnames, dates of birth and death and any known addresses are particularly useful in identifying the files of past employees.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
