Arthur Guinness made history in 1759, when he signed a 9,000 year lease on St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin – a brewery that is well known to many in Ireland, and a popular tourist attraction to people from all over the world. From that day forward, people all over the wolrd have been enjoying pints of “the black stuff” for over 250 years. Arthur’s Day is celebrated with friends and family in pubs, houses, and even the streets of towns and cities. People are brought together by their love of the world’s most famous beer, and enjoy live music by a number of popular artists.
The day was first celebrated in 2009, on the 250th anniversary of that historic day in 1759. Since then, however, the people of Ireland – and, indeed, the world – have felt it necessary to celebrate the world’s most famous beer every year, following. So we all know what Arthur’s Day is all about, but how many of us know the actual history of Arthur Guinness, and his beloved beer?
The legend that was Arthur Guinness was born in 1725, in Cellbridge, County Kildare to Elizabeth and Richard Guinness. The Archbishop of Cashel, Reverend Arthur Price was his godfather, and when he died in 1752, he left Arthur £100 in his will. Three years later, Arthur set up a brewery in Leixlip, County Kildare, 17km from Dublin. Then, in 1759, the legendary day arrived. Arthur signed his 9000 year lease for a disused brewery at St. James’ Gate, Dublin. This cost him the £100 he inherited from Archbishop Price, and an additional £45 in rent per year. The brewery covered four acres of land, and with it came water rights, which were crucial, a mill, a copper, a kieve, two malthouses, enough stabling for 12 horses, and a loft big enough to hold 200 tons of hay. It was in this brewery that Arthur began to brew porter and ale and, ultimately, Guinness.
In 1769, for the first time, Arthur exported six and a half barrells of Guinness on a vessel sailing to England. In 1775, he had to arm himself with a pickaxe in order to protect his water rights. The sheriff and a Dublin Corporation commitee tried to cut off and fill in the channel from which the brewery drew its water. There was much dispute, but finally, in 1784, after almost a decade of fighting to protect his water supply, Arthur was granted his water rights for 8,975 years.
In 1799, Arthur decided to concentrate solely on his well-loved porter, and so he brewed his last Dublin ale, and in 1801, the West India Porter, which is a predecessor to the modern-day Guinness that is enjoyed world-wide today, was first brewed.
In 1803, the inevitable occurred – the death of Arthur Guinness. His brewery was left to his son, Arthur Guinness II, who continued his work, and began exporting Guinness all over the continent, and in 1815, it even aided the recovery of a cavalry officer after the battle of Waterloo. The officer recalled in his diary: “When I was sufficiently recovered to take some nourishment, I felt the extraordinary desire for a glass of Guinness. Upon expressing my wish to the doctor, he suggested I take a small glass ... I thought I had never tasted anything so delightful ... I am confident that it contributed, more than anything else, to the renewal of my strength.”
The Brewery continued to grow, with Guinness becoming more and more popular. In 1824, Guinnes was known world-wide and the brewery became the largest in Ireland by 1833. In 1850, the legacy was passed on to the son of Arthur Guinness II – Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, who also became a member of parliament, and Lord Mayor of Dublin.
After the death of Benjamin Lee in 1868, the brewery was again passed on to his son, Edward Cecil, who expanded it even more so that it included a cooperage, a racking shed, a maltings, a new vathouse, a storhouse, and even an internal railway system. The family business was still on track, and by 1886, the Guinness brewery was officially the largest brewery in the world, producing 1.2 million barrells per year.
Edward Cecil and his brother Arthur, not only contributed to the brewery itself, but also to the public. Edward Cecil, appointed the first Lord of Iveagh in 1890, established the Guinness and Iveagh Trusts in order to provide homes for the poor in Dublin and London, and even contributed substantially to Trinity College, and some Dublin Hospitals. St. Stephen’s Green was was landscaped and given to the public as a gift from Arthur.
As big as the business was, it did not stop growing. Guinness was being bottled all over the world, and the brewery even bought its own steamship in 1913. Unforunately, this was torpedoed in 1917, and sank. By 1914, the annual output from the brewery had gone from 1.2 million barrels in 1886, to almost 3 million barrels.
In 1927, the business was still kept in the family, with Rupert Guinness taking over as Chairman of the company. The popular advertisement, which can still be seen on billboards today was first published in the British national press in 1929. The original advertisement stated “Guinness is Good For You”, but this was followed by cartoons drawn by John Gilroy. These cartoons were of a zookeeper and his animals – for example, a seal balancing a pint of Guinness on its nose – and the slogan “My Goodness, My Guinness.”
In 1931, a steamship – the first to be built specifically to transport Guinness – was launched, named the S.S. Guinness. However, during World War II, exports were limited, until they were banned completely between 1944 and 1947. Despite this, the brewery continued to grow and develop. During the 1940s, the Guinness was produced in metal vessels rather than wooden vessels.
After the war, production continued as before, with breweries opening around the world, including countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana. By 1984, the Guinness Hopstore was restored and opened to the public – this was a precursor to the current visitor’s centre – and by 1988, Guinness was produced in cans. The Irish pub became popular all over the world, and pubs were set up in many different countries, with 2500 Irish pubs around the world selling Guinness by 1998.
In 1997, Diageo PLC was formed, and took over ownership of the brewery. Diageo PLC is made up of Guiness PLC, and Grand Metropolitan PLC. The name comes from the Latin word for ‘day’, ‘Dia’, and the Greek word for ‘world’, ‘Geo’. Diageo are the current owners of the company.
In 2000, a fermentation plant at the Brewery became a storehouse, which was opened to visitors, and in 2004, this storehouse celebrated its 2 milionth visitor since opening. By 2007 10 million glasses of Guinness were sold in 150 countries all over the world, and finally, in 2009 the brewery celebrated its 250th anniversary, and the world celebrated the first Arhtur’s Day.
St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin is still a huge attraction in Dublin today, and Guinness is a hugely popular drink all over the world. So this year at 17.59pm on Arthur’s Day, when you raise your glass of Guinness, remember the 252 years of history that you are celebrating.
26 Sept 2011
by Jessica Thompson
