What year is House of Guinness set in? Timeline of the Netflix series, explored

Seasoned Peaky Blinders fans will find much to enjoy in Steven Knight's latest historical drama series on Netflix, titled House of Guinness. If the title did not ring a bell, the show is a fictional take on the Guinness dynasty, one of the largest stout manufacturers. Each episode of the period drama series opens with the following disclaimer:

‘This fiction is inspired by true stories.'

This gives Knight a license to incorporate fictional events into the real-life family saga. Netflix's House of Guinness is set in 1868 Ireland, in the wake of Sir Benjamin Lee's death. The show is set some 50 years before the events of Peaky Blinders, but the time period is as chaotic and volatile as Knight's critically acclaimed gangster saga.

The Guinness family patriarch's death becomes a catalyst for the volatile events of the show, and the precarious responsibility of his family legacy falls on the delicate shoulders of his four children.

More on this in our story.

Exploring the setting of Netflix's House of Guinness

Steven Knight deliberately chose the 1868 setting for Netflix's House of Guinness, as it was a tumultuous period for the family dynasty. While tensions and riots were brewing on the streets of Ireland, the Guinness family dynamics were changing after Sir Benjamin's death. His death created a power vacuum, not only in his family brewery but also in the Irish parliament. The series premiere opens in the aftermath of this monumental death, which creates political, religious, and familial unrest in Dublin.

The 1868 setting in House of Guinness helped Steven Knight explore the macrocosm and the microcosm after Sir Benjamin's death. The chaos that erupts amidst Benjamin's funeral is symbolic of the anarchy that is about to befall his family and country. While trouble is brewing between his four children, who each want their share in their father's will, the Fenian riot is taking over the streets of Ireland.

Sir Benjamin's legacy in House of Guinness

While the House of Guinness premiere is set in the aftermath of Sir Benjamin's death, the figure is important in the show's narrative. To comprehend the monumental impact his death had on Ireland, one must first recognize the significance of the man himself. Sir Benjamin was the grandson of the first Arthur, who initially founded the St. James's Gate Brewery in 1759. Benjamin learned the workings of the brewery from his father, the second Arthur, and eventually transcended it to new heights.

An astute businessman, Benjamin is considered Ireland’s first millionaire and the most successful heir of his dynasty, whose death had a huge impact on the Guinness family. Additionally, as the Mayor of Dublin and an active member of the Irish Parliament, his death also affected the political and religious sectors of Ireland.

House of Guinness opens amidst political unrest

Sir Benjamin was a powerful figure in 1868 Ireland, which naturally earned him many enemies, from Protestant evangelicals to hardcore Catholics. While the real-life figure also stood for Catholic emancipation, Knight takes certain creative liberties in House of Guinness and portrays him in opposition to the catholics, which made him an enemy in the eyes of the Fenian Brotherhood.

Episode 1 opens with political unrest, where Patrick, the Fenian leader, has taken over the streets of Ireland and is seen burning huge pyramids of Guinness barrels. The Fenians believed that Sir Benjamin's Black Gold was responsible for the exploitation of Irish natives, which naturally set up the animosity between them. This period of political unrest allows Knight to delve into Ireland’s socio-religious landscape while also examining the Guinness family feud. While Patrick is literally setting fire to Guinness' business outside, Benjamin's sons prepare themselves to take over the family business.

House of Guinness is streaming on Netflix.

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