The real Benjamin Lee Guinness's life and what House of Guinness left out

House of Guinness begins in the immediate aftermath of Benjamin Lee Guinness's death.

House of Guinness is on Netflix and the historical drama continues to be a huge success, with fans eagerly awaiting news of a second season.

The series, which is based on the true story of the Guinness siblings, began following the death of the family patriarch as his siblings prepared for his funeral.

Outside the brewery, riots were taking place with the Fenian Brotherhood declaring their resentment towards Benjamin Lee Guinness.

As the series follows Benjamin's children as they continue his legacy, viewers do not gain much insight into the life of the patriarch himself.

Here is all you need to know about the life of Benjamin Lee Guinness.

View 2 Images

Benjamin Lee Guinness was born in 1798 in Dublin and he was a grandson of the first Arthur Guinness, who bought the St. James's Gate Brewery in 1759.

In his late teens, he joined his father, the second Arthur Guinness, in the business before taking it over in 1839.

Within less than 20 years he had become the wealthiest man in Ireland after building up a considerable export trade.

To help expand the brewery further, he even invested in the new Irish railway companies and by 1867, the firm owned £86,000-worth of Irish railway stock.

As for his political endeavours, Benjamin was elected the first Lord Mayor of Dublin under the reformed corporation in 1851.

View 2 Images

In 1865, he was elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative representative for Dublin City, a role he held until his death.

Also a philanthropist, he took it upon himself to restore the city's St Patrick's Cathedral and in recognition of his generosity, he was made a baronet in 1867.

A year later, he died at his Park Lane home in London at the age of 69.

As for his personal life, he married his first cousin Elizabeth Guinness in 1837 and they had three sons and a daughter - Arthur, Edward, Benjamin and Anne.

He was buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery in Dublin, in the family vault and a bronze statue in his memory was made by Irish sculptor John Foley. It was restored in 2006.

House of Guinness is on Netflix