Where was “House of Guinness” filmed? The real spots behind the drama are a bit far from the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin
Think the Guinness family saga was filmed in Dublin and New York? Think again. “House of Guinness” brings 1860s Ireland and NYC to life using dramatic U.K. locations you can explore on your next tour.
Some shows do more than entertain—they plant the seed for your next adventure. If you’ve binged Netflix’s new drama “House of Guinness,” you might already be dreaming of secret rendezvous in misty Dublin streets, trips through the wild County Mayo countryside, and a pint of stout savored in a warmly lit pub. But here’s the twist: While the series is inspired by real events in the Guinness family’s history, it wasn’t filmed in Ireland. Modern Dublin looks very different from its 1860s past, so filmmakers turned to North Wales and England’s Liverpool and Manchester to recreate the world of the Guinness empire.
Read on to uncover the real locations behind the story—and to see how you can follow in the footsteps of your favorite characters by joining one of our United Kingdom tours or by designing a Customized Tour that visits every stop.
Is “House of Guinness” about Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness?
Set against the backdrop of the 1860s, “House of Guinness” tells the story of the famed Guinness family after the death of its patriarch, Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness. His four children navigate inheritance battles, personal struggles, the weight of bearing their family name, and rising political unrest as Ireland shifts around them. The show blends drama, history, and atmospheric visuals—making it the kind of series that sparks serious travel inspiration, especially for anyone dreaming of old-world streets, moody skies, and grand historic estates.
What is set-jetting?
These days, the right series doesn’t just capture your imagination—it pulls you straight into the landscapes and stories on your screen. If you’ve ever paused a show just to Google where it was filmed, you’ve already dipped a toe into the world of set-jetting. This growing travel trend invites you to visit the real-world places that bring your favorite shows and films to life (and “House of Guinness” is in very good company with its U.K. locations). Some of our favorite TV shows filmed in Ireland and the United Kingdom include “Game of Thrones” (which features several members of the Guinness TV series cast!), “Outlander,” “Bridgerton,” and “Ted Lasso.” If you’re the type who loves seeing real-life backdrops from your favorite shows, our United Kingdom tours make it easy to explore these filming locations. Or, we can help you design a Customized Tour that traces your favorite series through its filming locations in Europe and beyond!
Where was “House of Guinness” filmed?
Although the story is rooted in 1860s Dublin, no Dublin filming locations were used for “House of Guinness.” Most of the filming took place in northern England and Wales simply because modern Dublin looks too contemporary to recreate the city’s 19th-century streets. Filmmakers turned to historic British architecture to bring the Guinness world to life. You can visit the immersive locations below when you join us on a tour of the United Kingdom or design a Customized Tour to visit the settings behind all of your favorite scenes.
St. George’s Hall in Liverpool, England
Filmed in front of St. George’s Hall in Liverpool, the first brawl scene in “House of Guinness” sets the high-tension tone for the rest of the show. The stately neoclassical building, a concert hall and courthouse, is an excellent stand-in for Victorian Dublin, and you’ll pass by it on the Liverpool walking tour portion of our Grand Tour of Great Britain: Scotland, England & Wales tour.
Stanley Dock in Liverpool, England
A visit to the Guinness Storehouse and the St. James’s Gate brewery is one of the best things to do in Dublin (and you should absolutely join us on one of our Dublin tours to visit), but in “House of Guinness,” Liverpool’s Stanley Dock stood in as a filming location for the iconic brewery. In 1759, Arthur Guinness famously signed a 9,000-year lease for St. James’s Gate, and beer is still brewed there today, but modernization (and a lot of beer production) made it challenging to film at the real brewery. Instead, the production team used the dock and a neighboring tobacco warehouse to recreate the vast brewing machine of the Guinness empire. You can visit Stanley Dock, along with the rest of Liverpool’s once UNESCO-listed Maritime Mercantile City, on our Grand Tour of Great Britain: Scotland, England & Wales tour. The area is one of the best places to visit in England, according to our England Travel Guide.
Croxteth Hall in Liverpool, England
In an impressive feat of movie magic, Croxteth Hall in Liverpool became the “House of Guinness” filming location for the Guinness family’s Dublin mansion, Iveagh House. The transformation involved updates to the facade (both practical and CGI) and temporary pavement to make the grand country estate in the suburbs of Liverpool appear to be located in the center of Dublin. (The real Iveagh House sits just across from St. Stephen’s Green, and a visit to the area is another of the best things to do in Dublin.)
You can visit Croxteth Hall during your free time in Liverpool on our Highlights of England, Scotland & Ireland tour, then see the real Iveagh House, now a government building housing Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs, when you tour Dublin two days later!
Manchester’s Northern Quarter in Manchester, England
Manchester’s Northern Quarter, another of the show’s northern England filming locations, transports us back to New York’s Bowery neighborhood in the late 1800s. This is where Byron Hedges meets the city head-on with his dubious charm and shipment of beer. You’ll spot the Northern Quarter again later in the season, when the story shifts back to New York’s bustling underbelly.
Want to visit? Pop over to the Northern Quarter during your free evening in Manchester on our Ireland, England & Scotland for Women: Dublin to Edinburgh tour—whether you choose to reenact Byron’s frantic run through the streets is up to you.
Broughton Hall in Yorkshire, England
Broughton Hall is a Georgian manor house on sprawling grounds in Yorkshire, but fans of “House of Guinness” will recognize the elegant estate, its manicured lawns, and especially its glass-walled conservatory as St. Anne’s, the elegant home of Arthur and Lady Olivia. Many of the show’s most intimate moments unfold in the conservatory, as characters examine what love, politics, and legacy mean to a Guinness. Several interiors from Broughton Hall were used for filming as well, including its library, drawing room, and several bedrooms. The estate is often used as a wedding venue and makes the perfect stop before or after your next tour of England.
Snowdonia National Park in North Wales
The wild, misty landscapes of Snowdonia National Park in Wales served as the stand-in for rural Ireland, particularly the fictional village of Cloonboo. Its rugged hills make a dramatic backdrop to some of the show’s most emotional moments—and offer real-life travelers the same sweeping vistas and moody charm seen on screen. You can visit Snowdonia National Park during a free day on one of our United Kingdom tours, or you can design a Customized Tour with us to see the untamed landscapes where the Guinness children grapple with their place in society.
Penrhyn Castle in Bangor, North Wales
Although the Guinness family once owned Ireland’s famed Ashford Castle, the property was sold in 1939 and is now a lavish hotel. So, when Anne visits the County Mayo estate, what we actually see is Penrhyn Castle in Bangor, North Wales. With its fairy-tale turrets and luxurious interiors, Penrhyn was a seamless stand-in for the grandeur of the Guinness legacy, and the perfect foil to the bleak conditions in nearby Cloonboo.
Fun fact: Penrhyn Castle is only a few minutes’ drive from Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, the place with the longest name in Europe. (Learn more in our guide to things you should know about Wales.) You’ll stop in the quirkily named town on our Highlights of England, Scotland & Ireland tour.
Why wasn’t “House of Guinness” filmed in Ireland?
While the story is deeply tied to Dublin, filming in modern Ireland simply wasn’t practical. The city has transformed dramatically since the 1860s, making it difficult to recreate the narrow lanes, industrial grit, and Victorian architecture of the era. Northern England and Wales offered preserved historic districts, sweeping rural landscapes, and grand estates that captured the world the Guinness family would have known—plus, there are deep tax incentives and several large, established studios in the U.K. that make filming there an attractive option.
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