Guinness Storehouse is a tourist attraction at St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, Ireland.[2][3] Since opening in 2000, it has received over twenty million visitors.[4][5]
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 Guinness Storehouse in Dublin | |
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| Established | November 2000 |
|---|---|
| Location | Guinness Brewery, Dublin, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°20′30.7464″N 6°17′12.1535″W / 53.341874000°N 6.286709306°W |
| Type | History of brewing |
| Visitors | 23.9 million (2000 - 2022) [1] |
| Owner | Diageo |
| Website | www |
The Storehouse covers seven floors surrounding a glass atrium shaped in the form of a pint of Guinness.[6] The ground floor introduces the beer's four ingredients (water, barley, hops and yeast), and the brewery's founder, Arthur Guinness. Other floors feature the history of Guinness advertising and include an interactive exhibit on responsible drinking. The seventh floor houses the Gravity Bar with views of Dublin and where visitors may drink a pint of Guinness included in the price of admission.[7]
History
edit
The building in which the Storehouse is located was constructed in 1902 as a fermentation plant for the St. James's Gate Brewery (yeast is added to the brew). It was designed in the style of the Chicago School of Architecture and was the first multi-storey steel-framed building to be constructed in Ireland.[6][8] The building was used continuously as the fermentation plant of the Brewery until its closure in 1988, when a new fermentation plant was completed near the River Liffey.[8]
In 1997, it was decided to convert the building into the Guinness Storehouse, replacing the Guinness Hop Store as the Brewery's visitor centre. The redesign of the building was undertaken by the UK-based design firm Imagination in conjunction with the Dublin-based architects firm RKD, and the Storehouse opened to the public on 2 December 2000.[6] In 2006-08 a new wing was developed, and Euro 2.5 million was invested in a live technology-driven multi-media installation demonstrating the modern brewing process for Guinness, which was designed by London-based museum design specialist, Event Communications.[9][10]
In May 2011, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited the Storehouse as part of a state visit to Ireland.[11][12]
Visitor attractions
editThe Guinness Storehouse explains the history of beer. The story is told through various interactive exhibition areas including ingredients, brewing, transport, cooperage, advertising, and sponsorship.
The Storehouse covers seven floors surrounding a glass atrium shaped in the form of a pint of Guinness.[6] The ground floor introduces the beer's four ingredients (water, barley, hops, and yeast), and the brewery's founder, Arthur Guinness. Other floors feature the history of Guinness advertising and include an interactive exhibit on responsible drinking.
At the base of the atrium lies a copy of the 9,000-year lease signed by Arthur Guinness on the brewery site. In the Perfect Pint bar, visitors may pour their own pint of Guinness and even get their selfie printed on top of a pint.[13] The Brewery Bar on the fifth floor offers Irish cuisine, using Guinness both in the cooking and as an accompaniment to food.[14] The seventh-floor houses the Gravity Bar with views of Dublin and where visitors may drink a pint of Guinness included in the price of admission.
The Guinness Open Gate Brewery is an experimental taproom nearby, showcasing small-batch beer creations from the Guinness brewery.
The Storehouse also contains the Guinness Archives, containing records and artifacts dating back to 1759.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Guinness Storehouse visitor numbers rebound post-pandemic". The Irish Times.
- ^ Guinness Storehouse Archived 23 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine, DublinTourist.com.
- ^ Dublin Sights: a travel guide to the top 25 attractions in Dublin, Ireland, MobileReference, 2010, p. 115, ISBN 9781607789635[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Guinness Storehouse celebrates its 20 millionth visitor". IrishCentral.com. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ "Guinness Storehouse set to welcome 20 millionth visitor". 2 January 2019.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b c d David Dernie (2006), Exhibition design, Laurence King Publishing, ISBN 9781856694308
- ^ "Guinness Storehouse". www.guinness-storehouse.com. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Dublin can be heaven - and here's the cream". Irish Independent. 15 May 2005. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
- ^ Editorial (6 July 2006). "Event drafted in to lead Guinness Storehouse design". Design Week. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
Event Communications's appointment, replacing Imagination as lead design group, follows its completion of a €2.5m (£1.73m) project to re-envisage the Storehouse's ground and first floor with a more interactive exhibition design that explains the brewing process. It has reinterpreted the space, installing additional video elements and introducing the concept of a brewer guide and a tasting laboratory where visitors can sample Guinness from the keg line. Event Communications was appointed to this project in April last year, following a four-way pitch.
- ^ "The Family and the Product". Event Communications. 2007. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "Queen refuses pint of Guinness in Dublin, but Prince Phillip[sic] looks keen". Metro. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
- ^ "Visit grips imagination of world press". Irish Times. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
- ^ Stoutie - A Selfie on a Pint of Guinness, 21 November 2018
- ^ "Guinness Storehouse". www.guinness-storehouse.com.
- ^ Ó Conghaile, Pól (1 November 2018). "Inside the Guinness Archives: From Arthur's signature to Obama's keg". Irish Independent. Retrieved 28 January 2021.