Best-selling author Adrian Tinniswood tells the histories of the legendary Guinness family of brewers, philanthropists, and socialites through their mansions and townhouses. His tour opens the door to Irish palaces like Farmleigh (where the Edwardian ballroom is said to have a floor made from barrels brought from the brewery) and Luggala in the Wicklow Mountains. English houses featured include Elveden Hall in Suffolk, the 17,000-acre estate bought by Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, and Robert Adam’s famous Kenwood House on London’s Hampstead Heath, which the 1st Earl of Iveagh saved from destruction and bequeathed to the British nation. Unraveling the stories of more than a dozen great Guinness houses, Adrian reveals what life was like for a dynasty that rose from ordinary beginnings in Georgian Dublin to become one of the most powerful families in the British Isles.

Adrian Tinniswood is the author of sixteen books on social and architectural history, including Behind the Throne: A Domestic History of the Royal Household; The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House Between the Wars; and His Invention So Fertile: A Life of Christopher Wren. Adrian is a senior research fellow in history at the University of Buckingham and a visiting fellow in heritage and history at Bath Spa University.

Curt DiCamillo is American Ancestors' Curator of Fine Art. As part of the Education team, he curates American Ancestors' large art collection, lectures around the world, and hosts the celebrated American Ancestors Art & Architecture webinar series.

Author photo by Helen Rogers