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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.
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Simply click on any of the images listed below to explore the history of the Guinness
tradition
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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.
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Over 7,500 linear metres of records |
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Copies of GUINNESS® advertising from 1929 to the present day |
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The original 9000 year lease signed by Arthur Guinness on the St. James's Gate Brewery |
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The oldest artefacts in the collection are barley grains from Tutankhamun's Tomb
- nearly 3,500 old |
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Genealogy
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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.
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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.
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